Laboratory/Pathology Services and Blood Bank

Abstract

Pathology and its laboratories are central in support of every facet of cancer care in a CCC center, from diagnosis, to patient support during treatment, research, therapeutic drug manufacture and development and bio-banking.We have approached this discussion from the perspective of the timeline of a patient’s journey through cancer care. We begin with screening programs, high quality diagnostics and then maintaining quality supportive cancer care. Specialised services such as cellular therapies and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with their unique requirements are considered and lastly we discuss the vital role of clinical trials and research in comprehensive cancer care with a focus on biobanks.We also examine the role of the diagnostic laboratories and their clinical and scientific staff in shaping an integrated cancer diagnostic report, as an integral part of a cancer Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) or “Tumour Board”. Increasingly, integration of a large amount of clinical data, laboratory results and interpretation of complex molecular and genomic datasets is required to underpin the role of CCC’s as centres of clinical excellence and to collaborate with partners in local, national and international research protocols.