Three university hospitals from a large region in France have signed contracts with international medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra to digitise their pathology workflows. Replacing microscopes with a digital workflow is a step towards closer collaboration across the sites and to further enhance cancer diagnostics in the region. 

Digitising pathology is part of a broader initiative to bring regional university hospitals closer together through joint strategies. Sectra's solution supports the long-term goals of improved efficiency and equitable patient access to high-quality diagnostics across the region. 

By replacing microscopes with a digital workflow, the pathologists get instant, and when needed, remote access to digital images of tissue samples. Sectra's solution combines worklists, reporting, and image review in a single application optimised for primary diagnostics. It also enables healthcare providers to utilise AI to further improve pathology workflows and cancer care.

"Moving towards closer collaboration between healthcare providers in pathology is becoming increasingly important in France. Not only to manage rising workloads, but to ensure equal access to sub-specialist expertise. A digital solution provides the tools to deliver consistent, high-quality cancer diagnostics and facilitates collaboration as it's easier to share the cases," says Fabien Lozach, President of Sectra in France. 

The contracts, signed in June 2025, include Sectra's digital pathology module. The three healthcare providers together perform approximately 85,000 pathology examinations annually. The solution will also be integrated with each hospital's laboratory information system (LIS) for a streamlined and efficient workflow.