National Digital Pathology Network Launched to Boost Cancer Diagnosis

A national digital pathology network linking seven medical sites has been launched in Egypt to accelerate cancer diagnosis and improve diagnostic accuracy.

The initiative was formalised through a memorandum of understanding between the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population and Roche Diagnostics Egypt during a ceremony held at the Egyptian Centre for Disease Control.

The agreement was signed by Mohamed Hassani, assistant minister for health initiatives, and Moataz Nassef, chairman of Roche Egypt Diagnostics, in the presence of representatives from the Teaching Hospitals and Institutes Authority, the Secretariat of Specialised Medical Centres, and the Presidential Women’s Health Initiative.

The network will deploy artificial intelligence-supported pathology systems that digitise medical slides and allow specialists to review them remotely. The system is intended to reduce the impact of geographical distance on access to expert consultation.

The first phase connects seven sites: the Egyptian Centre for Disease Control, the Egyptian Medical Research Centre at Ain Shams University, Nasser Institute Hospital, the Ministry of Health’s Central Laboratories, and specialised oncology centres in Sohag, Kafr El Sheikh and Damanhour.

Health officials stated that diagnostic accuracy is expected to rise from around 85% under conventional methods to approximately 92%. Sensitivity is projected to reach 96.3%, while specificity is estimated at 93.3%.

The ministry added that artificial intelligence systems are capable of detecting about 5% of cases that may be missed during traditional visual examination. Officials also referenced progress made under the Presidential Women’s Health Initiative.

According to the ministry, the average time between a suspected diagnosis and the start of treatment has decreased from 270 days to 49 days, with a target of reducing it further to 28 days.

The proportion of cases detected at early stages—stages I and II—has also increased from 34% to 70%.