ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Pathologists in Canada are calling for the standardization of the kind of tissue testing that was at the centre of Newfoundland's breast cancer testing scandal.
The Canadian Association of Pathologists introduced three measures Wednesday it says would improve cancer care for patients across the country, though it remains unclear whether the federal or provincial governments will have a role in adopting them.
Those measures include the establishment of a national standard for immunohistochemistry testing, benchmarks for a safe workload, and protocols to help pathologists provide uniform, relevant information on the results of testing specimens.
Dr. Jagdish Butany, past president of the association, said an immunohistochemistry testing standard would be particularly important to ensure that men and women across the country are receiving the same quality of cancer tests from their pathologists.
"There has to be a body which will accredit them," Butany said during a conference call following the association's annual conference in Halifax.
"Whether it's a provincial body, whether it's a central body, the standards should be the same so that every patient everywhere in the country can rest assured that the results that he or she gets in one province will be the same as the ones she gets in any other province."
Butany has also warned in the past that workload for pathologists has increased and become more complex with advances in technology and as the population ages.
The critical role that pathologists play in medical testing recently came to light after it was revealed that at least 386 patients in Newfoundland and Labrador were given inaccurate results on their breast cancer tests.
As of March 2008, 108 patients whose tests were botched had died. But it may never be known how many of them died as a result of missing out on treatment because of erroneous test results.
Later this week, the provincial government is expected to announce a more updated figure on the number of patients whose tests were flawed.
Quebec is also grappling with questions surrounding the quality of its breast cancer tests. The province has recently launched a review to determine the veracity of tests taken between April 1, 2008, and June 1, 2009.
