Specimen acquisition: ROSEs, gardeners, and gatekeepers

Area of Science:

• Cytopathology
• Surgical Pathology
• Oncology

Background:

• Minimally invasive procedures frequently yield cytology samples as the sole diagnostic material.
• Cytology has advanced from morphological assessment to routine immunohistochemistry.
• Personalized medicine drives demand for molecular testing, increasing the relevance of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE).

Purpose of the Study:

• To present current practice patterns of rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) in various settings.
• To highlight the diverse range of professionals involved in ROSE.
• To provide an overview of telecytopathology, including its challenges and solutions.

Main Methods:

• Review of current rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) practices.
• Discussion of technological advancements like telepathology.
• Analysis of telecytopathology implementation challenges and strategies.

Main Results:

• ROSE practices vary across different settings, involving a wide array of professionals.
• Telepathology offers solutions to geographical limitations in ROSE.
• Key challenges in telecytopathology include hardware, training, communication, guidelines, validation, and future directions.

Conclusions:

• Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) is integral to modern cytopathology and personalized medicine.
• Telecytopathology presents a promising avenue to expand ROSE accessibility, despite implementation hurdles.
• Addressing challenges in telecytopathology is essential for its successful integration and future development.