On Tuesday June 11, the Medipath Limoges pathology center will welcome the general public for free visits to discover behind the scenes of cancer screening
Founded in 1999 in Fréjus, the Medipath group is the leader in France in anatomical pathology, an activity that is relatively unknown and yet central to the cancer care pathway.
To enable a better understanding of its expertise, the medical company is providing access to several of its pathology centers for the first time.
On Tuesday June 11, the Medipath pathology center in Limoges will welcome the general public for free visits, accessible upon prior registration.
Public health mission
Medipath is today the leading French anatomical pathology structure for its diagnostic activity. “A medical specialty little known to the general public, anatomical pathology is an essential link in the cancer screening and treatment chain,” explains Dr. Olivier Vire, president of Medipath.
On the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the group decided to open its doors to the general public, an initiative which is part of Medipath’s public health mission.
“Detecting cancer at an early stage significantly increases the chances of cure. We hope that by opening our doors to the public, we will allow as many people as possible to better understand our profession and the importance of screening,” indicates Dr Olivier Vire.
Five Medipath centers are concerned, including two in New Aquitaine: Bordeaux, Monday June 10 and Limoges, the next day.
The Medipath pathology center in Limoges was the group’s 3rd center in New Aquitaine, after Bordeaux (2020) and Brive-la-Gaillarde (2021).
Since July 2022, it has been collaborating with professionals and health establishments in the region, including the Limoges Polyclinic and the Saint-Junien hospital center, and processes more than 25,000 cases each year.
Artificial intelligence
Located at 5 rue Victor-Schoelcher, a stone’s throw from the Émailleurs-Colombier site of the Polyclinique, the Limoges center has two pathologists, doctors Barbara Petit and Barbara Pascal, and eleven employees (technicians and secretarial staff).
Open to all with compulsory registration, the open day on Tuesday June 11 will be structured around three highlights, under the sign of visiting, meeting and discovery.
With visits to the biopsy, smear and surgical specimen laboratories, visitors will follow the journey of the samples in the pathology center, from the laboratories where they are taken care of by the technicians, to the eyes of the doctors who make the diagnosis.
Meetings with pathologists are planned. How are diagnoses made, what are the deadlines, what is the most common cancer, doctors will be able to answer all the questions.
Finally, visitors will be able to attend demonstrations of cervical cancer screening assisted by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm, a technology used in the Medipath center in Limoges.
AI is now an integral part of the healthcare sector and represents the medicine of tomorrow. AI tools complement the expertise of pathologists and respond to a public health issue: cancer diagnosis and care for all.
Medipath Limoges open day, 5 rue Victor-Schoelcher in Limoges.
From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., registration required at the following address: jpomedipath.com/limoges.
In France, cancers represent the leading cause of death in men and the second in women.
In 2023, the total number of new cases of cancer is estimated at 433,000, a figure that has doubled since 1990.
95% of cancer diagnoses are made using pathology.
Medipath thus works with more than 16,700 regular corresponding doctors (gynecologists, dermatologists, ENT specialists, surgeons, etc.) and 250 healthcare establishments, including around fifty public establishments.
The medical company processes more than 1.5 million cases per year and makes 10% of cancer diagnoses in France, at all stages of development.
