E-poster Presentation 2014 World Cancer Congress

Telepathology in hematopathology : experience in francophone Africa (#576)

Martine MR Raphaël 1 , Lorenzo LL Leoncini 2 , Julien JI Ilunga 3 4 , Friedhelm FF Förster 5 , Abibatou ASF Sall Fall 6 , Blaise BN N'Kegoum 7 , Ludovic LA Anani 8
  1. Alliance mondiale Contre le Cancer (AMCC), ALIAM, Paris, France
  2. Pathology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
  3. Pathology, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
  4. Pathology, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
  5. Vanga Hospital, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
  6. Hematology, University Cheikh Anta Diop , Dakar, Senegal
  7. University Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroun
  8. Hematology, University of Cotonou, Cotonou, Benin

Background: In any country, independently of the objectives (treatment or research) an acurate diagnosis based on pathology is a prerequisite. The huge differences in the number of pathology labs and pathologists between african and industrialized countries justify the development of innovative technology based on internet communications such as telepathology.

Aim: To implement the development of telepathology in hematopathology to acess second opinion from experts on cytology and histology offering support in diagnosis, exchanges for research topics and training .

Methods: To assess existing resources and to set up equipment  with microscope connected to numerical camera, computer and internet was the first step. Then, the open source software i-Path, developed by the University of Basel, used through the network INCTR/AMCC/INCa France for telecommunication was set up. Significative numerical pictures (JPEG) were sent via internet to the i-path  community to obtain second opinion from experts in hematopathology.

Results: In May 2014, 148 cases were recorded in the francophone africa group  for diagnosis support included children and adults cases and 26 cases in the group of research project on lymphoproliferative disorders in Senegal, a  research topic for a PhD thesis on chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The cases from children were mostly Burkitt lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In adults, large cell lymphoma cases and differential diagnosis with metastasis of carcinoma were the most frequent cases.  

Conclusions: This experiment demonstrates the importance of a second opinion for support diagnosis especially for cytology in hematopathology in low resource countries. Moreover, the use of telepathology can help for improving the standard and new techniques in hematopatholgy such as immuno-cyto or histo-chemistry as well as for training.