French Hospitals Launch Regional Digital Pathology Network

The rollout encompasses the Institut Paoli-Calmettes in Marseille, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille, Centre Hospitalier Aix-Pertuis, and the Centre Antoine Lacassagne in Nice. This integration marks the first phase of an eight-hospital initiative designed to pool medical expertise across the southern region. Pathologists can now access high-resolution tissue samples remotely, facilitating real-time consultations and second opinions that were previously constrained by the physical movement of slides.

Professor Emmanuelle Charafe of the Institut Paoli-Calmettes noted that the system enables more precise evaluation of biomarkers, a critical component in modern oncology. The infrastructure relies on a 2022 framework agreement with UniHA, a cooperative of French public hospitals that standardized procurement terms for the technology.

Work is already underway for the second phase, which will bring four additional sites—including facilities in Nice, Toulon, Avignon, and Corsica—into the network by 2027. This shift toward a centralized enterprise imaging strategy is intended to reduce diagnostic bottlenecks while providing a scalable foundation for future clinical expansion.