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The International Convention Centre in Birmingham was host to the recent IBMS Congress 2025. The Congress was held over four days and included a wide range of expert speakers presenting sessions in all aspects of Biomedical Science alongside hundreds of companies showcasing their latest technologies. It was the perfect opportunity to celebrate all things Biomedical Science and explore the future of the profession.

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The Cytopathology sessions, sponsored by Biocartis and developed in conjunction with the ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø, covered a wide range of topics delivered by experts in their field and it was great to see them being so well attended.Ìý In this blog I have summarised some of the Cytopathology sessions that I attended.Ìý

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Dr Kris Hoi Ki Leung, a Consultant Pathologist from Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust delivered a session looking at the different classifications of lymphoma, the difficulties associated with lymphoma diagnosis and classification and the benefits of correlating Histology, Cytology and Flow Cytometry in reaching a diagnosis.ÌýÌý

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This was followed by another lymphoma session delivered by Dr Yurina Miki, a Consultant Haematopathologist from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. This session looked at how Histology, Cytology and a range of ancillary tests are used in the diagnosis and classification of lymphoma. This session included several interesting cases to highlight the multimodal nature of lymphoma diagnosis and classification.Ìý

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Together these two sessions gave an insight into the difficulties associated with lymphoma diagnosis and classification and highlighted the importance of Cytopathology in achieving a diagnosis and ensuring the correct treatment for patients.Ìý

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Dr Yurina Miki, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust delivering a session entitled ‘The role of cytopathology in the diagnosis of lymphoma: how far can we go?’Ìý

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There were a few sessions that focused on Reporting Systems used within Cytopathology. Dr Ash Chandra, Lead Cytopathology Consultant from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust talked about the adoption of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytopathology and The International System for Reporting Serous Fluid. This session looked at the guidelines for each system and the benefits of adopting a standardised system.

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Dr Martina Munonyara, Consultant Cellular Pathologist from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust talked about the WHO Reporting Systems for Pancreatic and Respiratory Cytology. For both disciplines this session gave an in-depth look into the sample types involved, the ancillary testing that can be utilised, what is included in a standardised report and an explanation of the reporting categories involved.Ìý

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Prof. Allan Wilson, Consultant Biomedical Scientist from NHS Lanarkshire delivered several sessions during the congress, starting with one entitled ‘Comparison of roles and responsibilities of biomedical scientists in the UK compared with the rest of Europe’. This session included information gathered from surveys and discussions from several different groups including The European Federation of Cytology Societies (EFCS) and The European Advisory Committee of Cytotechnology (EACC). The session highlighted the vast differences in qualifications, training and roles of biomedical scientists not only in different countries across Europe but also in different regions within the same country. When compared to the structure within the UK it is easy to understand the frustration of our European colleagues but hopefully, with further support and engagement across Europe this will start to improve.Ìý

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The next session presented by Prof. Allan Wilson was entitled ‘The Future of Cytology: Challenges and Opportunities.’ This session summarised several challenges that Cytology may face with the adoption of new technologies such as AI, the move from local delivery to centralisation of some services, the storage issues associated with any move away from glass slide reporting and the integration of remote working. The session also looked at what the future of both Diagnostic Cytology and Cervical Cytology may look like with these changes and included some excellent thoughts on the steps staff can take to ensure they are in the best position to adapt and remain relevant amidst the changes. The final part of this session was a panel discussion with Dr Ash Chandra, Dr Martina Munonyara, Leonie Wheeldon, Dr Anthony Maddox and Tracey Stevenson. In this part of the session the panellists discussed several topics including their personal experiences with using digital tools, how AI and digital pathology might transform diagnostic accuracy in cytology and how to prepare the next generation of staff for a digital and molecular future. This was an excellent opportunity to gain an insight into how these experts in their fields are using or hope to use digital cytology and AI in the future.

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Prof. Allan Wilson, NHS Lanarkshire delivering a session entitled ‘The Future of Cytology: Challenges and Opportunities.’

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‘Changes in Treatment due to molecular testing (gynae and diagnostic cytology)’ was the title of a session presented by Mary Jones, a Senior Biomedical Scientist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust. This session looked at the different ways genomics can be used, the sample types genomic testing can be carried out on, the importance of sample quality, transportation and storage of the samples and the use of the National Genomic Test Directory.

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Leonie Wheeldon, a Consultant Biomedical Scientist at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust presented a session on ‘Idylla ThyroidPrint study – UK multi-centre validation’. ÌýThis session gave an insight into the current Thyroid cancer pathway and why better diagnostics are needed to improve this pathway, reduce times between referral and diagnosis, avoid unnecessary surgeries, reduce anxiety for patients and reduce costs. An overview of the study itself was also given which includes several sites, utilises ROSE to obtain the samples and focuses on testing Thy 3 lesions to establish if they are high or low risk which can then be compared to the patient results following surgery. This study looks promising, and I look forward to reading the final report once the study is complete.

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Caron Mitchell, a Consultant Biomedical Scientist from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust presented a session looking at the current work being undertaken to validate the Hologic Genius System for use in the NHSCSP. This session delivered an overview of the study including the Genius system and how it works, the training delivered from Hologic on the use of the system and feedback from the staff who have been using the system. Although the study is ongoing the information given in the session did show that the study is providing good results, from positive feedback from staff using the system to an obvious reduction in time for reporting for both negative and abnormal cases. It will be interesting to see where the results of this study will take Cervical Cytology once complete.

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One of my highlights was the session delivered by Sandie Iles, a Consultant Biomedical Scientist in Gynaecology at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. During this session Sandie spoke about her personal experience in working towards and gaining her Advanced Specialist Diploma in histopathology reporting. ÌýSandie gave a lot of practical advice about the hurdles that would need to be overcome if you were interested in undertaking this training, the skills you would need to develop and the support that you would need to achieve the qualification and be successful in the role. The enthusiasm Sandie has for her role was obvious to see; she was open and honest about the challenges she encountered, and it was inspiring to see what can be achieved with dedication and hard work.

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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Cytopathology sessions at congress. The event was well organised with a wide range of topics covered by excellent speakers. With the changing environment of Cytopathology which can be worrying at times I was glad to see a focus on the future, with new technologies and how they could be utilised in Cytopathology, the introduction of new techniques and advice for staff interested in adapting with the changes and furthering their careers.Ìý