Panama takes a significant step towards creating the region's first Reference Center for Cytopathological Diagnosis for the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer. The new Policentro de San Isidro has been equipped with state-of-the-art technology for cervical cytology tests. The center will analyze Pap smears from all health regions of the country, prioritizing cases related to cervical cancer. The new system can identify a parasite in a sample containing up to 300,000 cells, and diagnoses can be obtained in less than 30 minutes. Additionally, the equipment allows for molecular testing of samples from malaria patients. Carmen Viridiana Espinoza Ayala, Business Development Manager for Latin America at the diagnostic company Noul, explained that this technology will reduce the surgical backlog and enable pre-diagnosis by sending information remotely to specialists. She emphasized that this will facilitate early molecular diagnosis and allow for the timely scheduling of subsequent evaluations for patients. 'The equipment is already operating with samples from patients in critical condition, and some lesions have been detected,' said Espinoza.
