Cellular pathology

The cellular pathology discipline provides a centralised, comprehensive clinical laboratory service for the screening, diagnosis, treatment and management of disease such as cancer. Subspecialist pathologists will also provide specialist advice.

In addition the discipline provides a public mortuary service for HM coroner on three sites.

The team of consultant histopathologists, trainee pathologists, biomedical scientists and support staff undertake more than 120,000 investigations per year within the following sections:

Histopathology

Histopathology provides a comprehensive tissue diagnostic service to East Kent Hospitals, local general practitioners and the private sector. Areas of expertise include:

• Breast

• Cervical cancer

• Endocrine

• Gastrointestinal

• Gynaecology

• Haematopathology

• Respiratory

• Urology

• Dermatology

• Soft tissues.

In addition to the processing of fixed tissue, Cellular Pathology offers a frozen section service at both the Ashford and Margate (from September 2011) sites. Within Cellular Pathology is a fully automated immunochemistry laboratory providing an immunodiagnostic service.

The Mohs service is provided by the laboratory in co-operation with the Consultant Dermatologist and is always arranged at least one week in advance usually on a Wednesday at Kent and Canterbury Dermatology Unit between 8.30am and 5pm.

The laboratory also employs direct immunofluorescence techniques for application in skin disorders.

Cellular Pathology is committed to training and development needs of medical, scientific and support staff.

Gynae cytology

Cellular Pathology is fully converted to Liquid Based Cytology (LBC) and acts as the processing hub for east Kent and Medway.

Non gynae cytology

This includes evaluation of body cavity fluids, washings and brushings from various sites in the body for the detection of primary and metastatic cancer and also in the determination of the primary site of metastatic cancer.

Fine needle aspiration cytology is a quick, minimally invasive and cost-effective method of reaching a cellular diagnosis on mass lesions and offers the opportunity to collect material for ancillary studies at the same time. Our consultants provide a diagnostic and advisory service at rapid access clinics for aspiration of palpable breast and head and neck masses at the Ashford, Canterbury and Margate sites.

Andrology service

This includes routine semen analysis for infertility cases as well as evaluation of post-vasectomy specimens.

Mortuary service

Cellular Pathology provides a public mortuary service to the HM coroners in east Kent together with a full autopsy and body storage service HTA licensed at Ashford and Margate. Kent and Canterbury provides a body storage facility.

Facilities

The Cellular Pathology discipline of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is a UKAS accredited service to ISO 15189:2012 and is approved by the Institute of Biomedical Science for training both trainee and specialist biomedical scientists and trainee clinical scientists. 

All tests not listed on this scope are not accredited to ISO 15189:2012 but are within the governance of the quality management system.

Contact us

We are unable to give results directly to patients, but if you have any other queries or complaints please contact the laboratory at the address below or call 01233 616016.

East Kent Cellular Pathology (centralised at Ashford)
William Harvey Hospital
Kennington Road
Ashford
Kent
TN24 OLZ