The Histopathology Department Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) provides a comprehensive range of histological and cytological pathological services. These services include the routine and specialised examination of tissue samples (including immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy), diagnostic screening of body fluids and aspirates, and coroner's autopsies.
These services are fully supported and led by Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) registered consultant clinical staff and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered senior biomedical scientists.
Opening hours
The Histopathology Department is open for the routine examination of specimens from 08:30 to 17:30 Monday to Friday and on Saturday for deliveries from 09:00 to 12:00.
Contact details
Departmental Clinical Lead: Dr Michael Eden
Histopathology Manager: Zahrah Rosun
Contact Histopathology and cytology via its Enquiries line
Telephone: 01223 217163
Histopathology service update
The Histopathology department has had its accreditation to ISO15189:2012 re-instated following its August 2024 assessment.
Due to a significant increase in the number Histopathology investigations since the end of the COVID pandemic the Cambridge Histopathology laboratory has not been meeting the turnaround time reporting standards to which we aspire:
- 80% within 7 days
- 90% within 10 days
- 95% within 21 days
An improvement programme has been implemented and the laboratory is working on a number of initiatives to increase capacity. This includes the use of digital imaging (replacing microscopy) and automated microtomy on some samples. These are outside the current scope of accreditation. It should be noted that accreditation to ISO15189 is currently suspended.
Cases referred to the Histopathology laboratory are classified as ‘cancer pathway’ (CP) where the clinician thinks that cancer may be a possibility, or ‘non-cancer pathway’ (non-CP) for routine cases. Information on the current turnaround time (TAT) performance is shown below.
Monthly Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 Day TAT 46.82% | 10 Day TAT 63.99% | 21 Day TAT 86.61% | Number of Cases 21232 | Total Slides 138515 |
| May | 7 Day TAT 34.85% | 10 Day TAT 49.69% | 21 Day TAT 71.26% | Number of Cases 5240 | Total Slides 33440 |
| Jun | 7 Day TAT 44.55% | 10 Day TAT 61.38% | 21 Day TAT 85.25% | Number of Cases 3843 | Total Slides 25036 |
| Jul | 7 Day TAT 44.39% | 10 Day TAT 63.69% | 21 Day TAT 91.77% | Number of Cases 4627 | Total Slides 30711 |
| Aug | 7 Day TAT 48.24% | 10 Day TAT 70.30% | 21 Day TAT 94.12% | Number of Cases 3845 | Total Slides 25225 |
| Sep | 7 Day TAT 67.80% | 10 Day TAT 80.88% | 21 Day TAT 95.54% | Number of Cases 3677 | Total Slides 24103 |
Monthly Non-Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 Day TAT 30.41% | 10 Day TAT 38.40% | 21 Day TAT 62.80% | Number of Cases 14055 | Total Slides 63794 |
| May | 7 Day TAT 60.86% | 10 Day TAT 74.90% | 21 Day TAT 89.10% | Number of Cases 1303 | Total Slides 7882 |
| Jun | 7 Day TAT 41.62% | 10 Day TAT 48.29% | 21 Day TAT 74.14% | Number of Cases 2100 | Total Slides 11023 |
| Jul | 7 Day TAT 22.74% | 10 Day TAT 27.84% | 21 Day TAT 46.16% | Number of Cases 3923 | Total Slides 16724 |
| Aug | 7 Day TAT 18.22% | 10 Day TAT 24.67% | 21 Day TAT 50.84% | Number of Cases 4337 | Total Slides 16865 |
| Sep | 7 Day TAT 38.67% | 10 Day TAT 52.05% | 21 Day TAT 87.50% | Number of Cases 2392 | Total Slides 11300 |
For professionals
More information is available to staff via the Histopathology page on Connect (opens in a new tab) (login required), including the Histopathology user handbook.