Pathology is involved in 70% of all healthcare diagnoses and global market for clinical laboratories is expected to reach US $149 billion by 2020.
All the basic clinical laboratories have Cell counters, Advanced chemistry analyzers, automated coagulometers and electrolyte analyzers which provide reasonable reproducibility in routine blood tests. Moderate size laboratories usually have immunoassay systems for accurate and reproducible results of hormones and tumor markers.
In surgical pathology advanced markers of immunohistochemistry and in Cytology, Flow Cytometry and immunohistochemistry have contributed to the accurate diagnosis.
Digital pathology is a booming technology in medical lab work. It has made possible to form teams of expert pathologists all over world and take their opinion.
Advanced imaging techniques have improved accessibility to various sites in the body and the provision of cytology or biopsy material from previously difficulty or inaccessible locations has contributed to, better accuracy and adequacy of sampling of the targeted lesion, understanding and unravelling of new pathological entities, and better pathological staging of cancer and improved clinico-pathological correlation.
Multidisciplinary Team Meetings (MDTs) are looked upon as the “best-thing” that happened to the speciality in recent times. Through participation in clinical decision-making, pathologists gain improved job satisfaction and have sense of being appreciated. MDTs have increased awareness among other health professionals of the speciality of pathology and its important role in the management of cancer and other patients with improved communication.
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