Molecular Pathology
in Brazil

In recent years, molecular technology has propelled the rapidly emerging field of personalized medicine and has progressively become more routine within laboratory medicine. The medical community has recognized the importance of molecular diagnostics throughout many fields in medicine, especially noting the transcendental impact that the technology has had on oncology. In Brazil, in vitro diagnostic devices or NGS platforms have been incorporated in tumor molecular profiling in some private laboratories; however, these tests are costly and labor intensive, which limits their use—particularly for patients in the public system.

Additionally, training in molecular pathology is lacking in Brazil. Currently, there is no program for molecular pathology in the country. Training in pathology is regulated by national guidelines; however, the training to become molecular pathologist is not established by Brazilian guidelines. Given that molecular medicine is becoming a great opportunity in cancer care, every effort should be made to adequately train and prepare pathologists for the imminent future. Thus, data and material on molecular pathology should be aggregated by existing professionals in order to encourage newcomers to the field as well as decrease the burden of decision-making for existing molecular pathologist in Brazil.

In December 2020, AHF convened a meeting of Brazilian experts on molecular pathology in Brazil via Zoom to develop recommendations for increasing the early diagnosis, treatment, and effective management of cancers in the country. The manuscript entitled “A Call to Action: Molecular Pathology in Brazil” is published in Surgical and Experimental Pathology. Click here to read the full article.