The Canadian Association of Pathologists has created a new set of cancer testing guidelines.
The proposed changes come two months after a Winnipeg pathologist was put on leave over concerns about errors in his diagnoses.
The pathologists came from across the country and met in Ottawa over the weekend. They concluded labs in every province should be subject to routine spot checks. Right now it's something only happening in Ontario and BC.
The association hopes to share their concerns in a meeting with Health Minister Tony Clement. They say a nationwide spot check system should be a moral imperative, and wouldn't be very costly.
A pathology report for cancer diagnosis is a multi stage process. There are more than 40 steps involved, and if something goes wrong at any of them, it can mean a dramatic difference in a patient's treatment.
In May the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority reviewed hundreds of cases of a local pathologist after a mistake was found in his work.
In all the review uncovered errors in 40 cases, which officials considered acceptable.
Recently a public inquiry was also called in Newfoundland, after nearly 400 breast cancer patients were misdiagnosed between 1997 and 2005.
