Rapid cancer diagnosis facility starts at ChildPGI

Noida: The Postgraduate Institute of Child Health (PGICH), Noida, has commissioned a fully automated immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyser, a facility expected to speed up cancer diagnosis and improve diagnostic accuracy in children and adults alike.The state govt funded the Rs 50 lakh project, making it Noida's first such facility.Dr Jyotsna Madan, head of pathology, stated the new system identifies specific tumour protein markers, enabling precise cancer classification for targeted treatments, making it more efficient than microscopy, which only confirms the presence of a tumour.The analyser comes amid rising demand for specialised cancer diagnostics.

Besides malignancies, the technology can diagnose benign disorders like Hirschsprung disease in children and cytomegalovirus infections in tissue samples.PGICH has extended the diagnostic service to external hospitals and non-institute patients. The cost of testing varies by case and ranges from Rs 450 to Rs 4,000.Until now, the process was performed manually, making it labour-intensive and time-consuming.

"The manual procedure could take an entire day, requiring continuous supervision from a technician. With the automated analyser, one batch of tests can be completed in about 3.5 hours, allowing us to run two to three batches a day depending on demand," Dr Madan said.She added that the machine uses barcode-based tracking, software-controlled dispensing of reagents and temperature regulation, ensuring more precision and consistency.Officials said the facility will also reduce dependence on referral laboratories, making advanced cancer testing more accessible and cost-effective for patients.