The power of our impact

Palga plays a major role in making data available to researchers. Every year, we receive nearly 200 new requests from researchers looking for pathology data and tissue samples, as Palga is able to provide unique insights not available anywhere else in the world. Facilitating scientific research contributes to better treatment plans for patients and improves the quality of care.   

The Palga Foundation is proud of its impact on the scientific field, both through the studies in which we are directly involved and the publications made possible by our data. The number of publications we facilitate increases every year.

Dr Julie Swillens’ PhD thesis, titled IMPROVING, showed that there is a high degree of variation in diagnostic practice. Palga is committed to reducing this variation by bringing structure to the collection, protection and sharing of pathology data.  

We also contributed to a nationwide study on the impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients, which analysed the effects of the pandemic on the entire chain of cancer care and resulted in a number of concrete recommendations.  

Dr Carmen van Dooijeweert’s PhD thesis is a great example of how a large collection of archived pathology records can be used for research. Van Dooijeweert’s research, which focused on improving the assessment of biomarkers for breast cancer, was largely based on protocolised pathology reports from the national Palga database. 

Palga is focused on creating impact, most of all on patients’ lives. As more and more treatment options become available, the ability to choose the right approach increasingly depends on access to integrated information. By providing that access, Palga’s work benefits patients directly.

Palga’s infrastructure gives pathologists an instant overview of relevant diagnoses and the availability of patients’ tissue samples, making the diagnostic process faster, better and cheaper. The database ensures that expensive tests do not have to be repeated, as the results are available directly to the treatment team.

Palga also informs patients on how their data is used, as well as on privacy legislation. Because when patients understand what happens to their medical information and are aware of the impact it can have, they are able to make better-informed decisions.

Together with the Dutch Pathological Society (NVVP), Palga published a report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) will use the results of this research to improve the quality of care. Read more about the study here.