The National Center of Pathology1 (NCP) is the largest of the LNS’s departments. Its goal is to deliver service characterised by excellence, in keeping with international standards of practice, and in tandem with a process of continuous improvement.
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The primary objective of this service is screening for cervical cancer. This is done by performing microscopic studies of cytological samples and molecular analysis intended to find high-risk papillomavirus and other infectious agents. Since 2014, the technique of so-called monolayer smears is used to enable the automation of clinical readings and further testing.
The two main responsibilities of this service are the diagnostics of cancer and precancerous lesions as well as inflammatory lesions. The service comprises a joint molecular pathology platform unit with the National Center of Genetics to characterise molecular abnormalities that can be useful for diagnostics and treatment especially in cancer patients.
The service further includes the neuropathology unit, the haematological cytology unit and the sample-receiving unit.
1 If, in general, pathology is the science dealing with the study of disease, molecular pathology is the study of the role of biomolecules or mutations in the pathogenesis of human diseases. This scientific and clinical field is related to molecular biology and human pathology.
