Department of Pathology

Peking Union Medical College Hospital is a large comprehensive hospital and a national center for the diagnosis and treatment of difficult and critical cases. Since its establishment in 1921, it has continuously developed, serving over 8,000 patients daily with nearly 2,000 beds. The Department of Pathology at PUMCH originated from the Pathology Department of Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), one of the earliest established departments. Autopsy and external examination work began in 1916 (as confirmed by existing archival materials). Over the years, it has trained a large number of talents for China and the world, including renowned pathologists such as Hu Zhengxiang, Bai Xiqing, Liu Yong, Yang Jian, Li Mingxin, and Wang Hengwen, who have made significant contributions to the development of pathology in China.

Currently, the department has a total of 48 staff members, including 1 academician, 4 chief physicians, 1 researcher, 5 associate chief physicians, 9 attending physicians, 8 resident physicians, 8 chief technicians, 8 technicians, and 1 technician, with 12 holding doctoral degrees. Professor Chen Jie serves as the chairman of the Pathology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association. Lu Chaohui is the vice chairman of the Youth Committee of the Pathology Branch. Cui Quancai is a member of the Beijing Pathology Branch. The department was approved as a national key discipline in 2003 and designated by the Ministry of Health as the national center for pathology quality and evaluation guidance. It has been recognized for its excellent teaching team and as a model for high-quality courses in Beijing.

Over the years, the Department of Pathology has made significant contributions in medical care, education, and research, with many aspects being at the forefront in the country. Since its establishment, the total number of pathological cases has exceeded 800,000, with an annual increase of 10-15% in recent years, surpassing 35,000 cases per year. With the increase in surgeries and the need for rapid intraoperative diagnosis by clinical surgeons, the number of intraoperative frozen sections has significantly increased, reaching over 4,000 cases annually. Immunohistochemical staining is a commonly used diagnostic and differential diagnostic technique in the department, capable of staining hundreds of antibodies, with over 40,000 immunohistochemical slides produced each year and continuing to increase. The department employs advanced cytological techniques for examinations, including cervical and non-gynecological exfoliative cytology, completing over 30,000 examinations annually. Molecular genetic techniques such as FISH and LOH are utilized for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of breast cancer, lung cancer, soft tissue tumors, and endocrine tumors. Gene rearrangement techniques and EB virus in situ hybridization have provided more reliable evidence for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lymphomas. As a large comprehensive hospital and national center for difficult and critical case treatment, Peking Union Medical College Hospital handles many difficult pathological consultations annually, totaling over 55,000 cases, with an increase of over 7,000 cases each year. This has clarified diagnoses for many patients nationwide, enabling timely treatment. The department consistently prioritizes medical quality, providing satisfactory services to clinical doctors and patients, guiding clinical physicians in the assessment, treatment, and prognosis of patients' diseases. Routine pathology outpatient reports for small specimens are issued within 3-4 working days, and for large specimens within 5-7 days, with delayed report notifications for special and difficult diagnoses to promptly inform clinical doctors. In recent years, due to various reasons, the autopsy rate has significantly declined, resulting in a noticeable decrease in materials for clinical-pathological discussions, directly impacting the overall improvement of medical standards, with legislative solutions needed for related issues.

Academician Liu Tonghua is a nationally renowned pathologist, recognized as an expert with outstanding contributions by the Ministry of Health, and a national excellent teacher (Ministry of Education). After the Cultural Revolution, under her leadership, the department has been at the forefront in molecular pathological research on growth factors, oncogene expression, and mutations in human pancreatic cancer. Significant research has also been conducted in the fields of digestive, endocrine, respiratory, gynecological tumors, and neurological diseases and tumors. The department's research has received multiple awards from the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Ministry of Health, and national-level scientific and technological progress awards. Notably, research on pancreatic cancer received the second prize for scientific and technological progress from the Ministry of Health in 1985 and 1993, and the second prize for national scientific and technological progress in 1995. Professor Zang Xu's research on pituitary tumors won the first prize for national scientific and technological progress in 1992. The department has published hundreds of high-level research papers and has continuously received funding from key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation and major national scientific and technological initiatives, leading the country in complex and difficult pathology and molecular pathology.

GSK, a world-renowned pharmaceutical company, has recognized the molecular genetics laboratory led by Academician Liu Tonghua as one of three central laboratories globally (the other two being Mayo Clinic and the European Institute of Oncology), making it the only internationally recognized laboratory in the country responsible for gene testing for targeted therapies in breast and lung cancers, receiving international recognition. The department has contributed to the editing of several medical monographs, including 'Diagnostic Pathology' edited by Liu Tonghua and the nationally standardized pathology textbook edited by Professor Chen Jie.

As the pathology teaching and research unit of Peking Union Medical College, the department undertakes the heavy responsibility of teaching pathology for the eight-year medical undergraduate program and the doctoral and master's programs at the graduate school. Continuous reforms are being made in the teaching process for medical undergraduates to improve teaching standards and quality. The department has established a website (www.pathology.com.cn) for online teaching, which has been recognized as a high-quality course in Beijing and has applied for national high-quality course status. Teaching conditions have significantly improved, with a bright and spacious pathology specimen museum and laboratory facilities capable of accommodating 130 students for practical training. The application of digital interactive classrooms has greatly enhanced the effectiveness of student internships, providing excellent conditions and technical platforms for pathology practice. The department also offers continuing education courses in pathology for adults. Since 1978, the department has trained 31 doctoral students and 42 master's students, many of whom have achieved significant accomplishments and assisted in training dozens of doctoral and master's students in other departments. Nearly a hundred resident physicians have been trained and are now spread across the country, many of whom have become key figures in pathology.

In recent years, with the support of hospital leadership, the department has made certain advancements, establishing a long-term 10-year plan, and the construction of a talent echelon has begun to take shape, alleviating the long-standing issue of talent shortages. The pathology specimen collection room has been renovated, greatly improving the environment and ventilation, resulting in significant enhancements in the quality of pathological preparations and diagnostic levels. The department has implemented computer management for the entire process from specimen receipt to pathology report issuance, achieving high-quality graphic and textual pathology reports that are well-received by clinical doctors.

Currently, the development of the pathology discipline faces many challenges, such as severe space shortages, insufficient personnel, slow development of specialized pathology, and limited international exchange and cooperation.

The Department of Pathology is committed to improving quality, and with the acceleration of the hospital's modernization process, it hopes to achieve further development, with all staff members dedicated to making greater contributions to the advancement of Peking Union Medical College Hospital!