Globalization of a telepathology network with artificial intelligence applications in Colombia: The GLORIA program...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Digital Health
• Pathology Informatics

Background:

• Cancer is a high-cost pathology in Colombia, with significant diagnostic delays for common cancers like cervical, prostate, and breast cancer.
• Patients in remote regions and under public healthcare face critical challenges in timely cancer diagnosis.
• Accurate histopathological reporting is crucial for cancer diagnosis, and digital pathology offers innovative solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the study protocol for the GLORIA digital pathology network, a national initiative in Colombia.
• To design and pilot a digital pathology transformation focused on telepathology and computational pathology.
• To address the needs of pathology laboratories in diagnosing complex malignant tumors and expand oncopathology services nationwide.

Main Methods:

• Establishing a telepathology network to extend oncopathology services across all Colombian regions.
• Developing an artificial intelligence (AI) proposal for lung cancer diagnosis, a prevalent cancer in Colombia.
• Creating a freely accessible national histopathological image database to support image analysis research.

Main Results:

• The GLORIA network aims to integrate telepathology and computational pathology for enhanced cancer diagnosis.
• The initiative includes a specific AI application for lung cancer and a national image database.
• The project is designed to improve the accessibility and accuracy of cancer diagnosis across Colombia.

Conclusions:

• The GLORIA digital pathology network represents a pioneering effort to transform cancer diagnosis in Colombia.
• This initiative leverages telepathology and computational pathology to overcome geographical and resource barriers.
• The project is expected to improve diagnostic timeliness and accuracy, ultimately benefiting cancer patients nationwide.