Transcription

• Nick Lanyi

  Why governance is key to pathology AI. Researchers find DNA changes from childhood cancer treatment may cause cancers later in life. And upcoming deadlines for pathology resident awards. These stories and more coming up next. This is Path News Network, daily edition from the College of American Pathologists. I'm Nick Lanyi. It's Friday, April 24th. Some experts are warning that the biggest challenge with artificial intelligence is not the technology, but the rules for using it. That's the focus of a new white paper jointly published by digital pathology software company Proscia and pathology research organization Pirouette DX. The paper is called The Foundation of Trust, Pathology Governance and compliance in the age of AI. It lays out a framework for governance of AI in pathology. Contributors included several members of the CAP. Dr. Matthew Hanna is vice chair for pathology informatics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and chair of the CAP's AI pathology committee. We spoke with him about the paper and the issue of AI governance.

• Dr. Matthew Hanna

  I think because of the novelty in AI over the last, say, five to ten years, there have been... So many organizations or bodies that are sort of putting their stake in the ground in terms of how to govern AI or say even how to validate AI. So there is a lack of clear ownership, honestly.

• Nick Lanyi

  With several competing frameworks to choose from, laboratories lack clear direction.

• Dr. Matthew Hanna

  There isn't a single standard and everybody's... come up with the governance structure that they think works well for their organization and adopted and adapted accordingly. So some have more ethical insights, some have more of an IT infrastructural, some are more from a deployment standpoint, and there are so many other architectural features layered into there, but there is no standard. And so that's where a best practices document or, you know, a blueprint for governance becomes very helpful. And then organizations can take that and modify it as needed.

• Nick Lanyi

  Dr. Hanna said the new paper presents practical, focused ways for AI to be deployed ethically. It will take time for various governance blueprints to be pressure tested as AI use grows, he says. But he's hopeful. that all the stakeholders from hospitals and laboratories to vendors and government agencies will come to a consensus and the CAP will continue to play an important role.

• Dr. Matthew Hanna

  I do want to just call out the critical need for the CAP to continue to provide information to its members on AI validation and implementation. And that's something the AI committee is working very strongly on and collaborating with many other groups so that... we can get those formal guidelines out to the public community.

• Nick Lanyi

  Childhood cancer treatments like radiation and chemotherapy can make changes in DNA that may cause additional cancers or cancer-like diseases later in life. That's according to new research from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The researchers analyzed genetic mutations in tumor tissue of 160 survivors who later developed cancer to look for patterns tied to earlier treatments. Earlier research had shown a correlation between childhood cancer treatment and later malignancies. This study is the first to show direct causality by identifying specific DNA fingerprints. Radiation therapy was associated with the most common and largest DNA mutation. The researchers hope the study leads to better understanding of the impact of cancer treatment on children and improved identification of cancer risks for such patients later in life. Remind your pathology residents that the deadline for them to apply for the CAP Foundation's Leadership Development Award for Fall 2026 is May 5th. The award aims to introduce those residents to the specialty's leadership opportunities at the institutional, local, state, and national levels. Anyone actively enrolled in an accredited U.S. or Canadian pathology residency program can apply for funding to attend one of the CAP's leadership development programs this fall. The award covers travel expenses up to $1,200 to attend the CAP Fall Residence Forum in Las Vegas on October 3rd, or registration fee expenses up to $400 for the CAP Engaged Leadership Academy in Northfield, Illinois in November. You should also know about a special $1,200 award for pathology residents in Missouri to travel to the Fall CAP Residence Forum in Las Vegas. The deadline is May 12th. You can find information on both awards at the CAP Foundation website, foundation.cap.org. Finally, the CAP House of Delegates and Pathologists Leadership Summit starts tomorrow. For all those headed to Washington, D.C. today, safe travels. We look forward to seeing you for four days of connection, learning, and advocacy. Path News Network Daily Edition will take a break for the summit, with no additions on Monday or Tuesday next week. Instead, we'll have special daily video and newsletter coverage of all the activities in D.C. starting tomorrow and running through Tuesday. Our daily edition will resume on Wednesday, April 29th. And that's it for us today. For more information on today's stories, check the show notes. And if you like our podcasts, forward today's episode to a friend or colleague or share it on social media. We'll be back Wednesday at 5 a.m. Eastern. For another episode of The Daily Edition, I'm Nick Lanyi. Have a great weekend