The Histopathology Department Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) provides a comprehensive range of histological and cytological pathological services. These services include the routine and specialised examination of tissue samples (including immunocytochemistry and electron microscopy), diagnostic screening of body fluids and aspirates, and coroner's autopsies.
These services are fully supported and led by Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) registered consultant clinical staff and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered senior biomedical scientists.
Opening hours
The Histopathology Department is open for the routine examination of specimens from 08:30 to 17:30 Monday to Friday and on Saturday for deliveries from 09:00 to 12:00.
Contact details
Departmental Clinical Lead: Dr Michael Eden
Histopathology Manager: Zahrah Rosun
Contact Histopathology and cytology via its Enquiries line
Telephone: 01223 217163
Histopathology service update
The Histopathology department has had its accreditation to ISO15189:2012 re-instated following its August 2024 assessment.
Due to a significant increase in the number Histopathology investigations since the end of the COVID pandemic the Cambridge Histopathology laboratory has not been meeting the turnaround time reporting standards to which we aspire:
- 80% within 7 days
- 90% within 10 days
- 95% within 21 days
An improvement programme has been implemented and the laboratory is working on a number of initiatives to increase capacity. This includes the use of digital imaging (replacing microscopy) and automated microtomy on some samples. These are outside the current scope of accreditation.
Cases referred to the Histopathology laboratory are classified as ‘cancer pathway’ (CP) where the clinician thinks that cancer may be a possibility, or ‘non-cancer pathway’ (non-CP) for routine cases. Information on the current turnaround time (TAT) performance is shown below.
Monthly Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Sep | 7 Day TAT 67.56% | 10 Day TAT 81.17% | 21 Day TAT 95.80% | Number of Cases 4716 | Total Slides 30906 |
| Oct | 7 Day TAT 67.33% | 10 Day TAT 80.46% | 21 Day TAT 96.36% | Number of Cases 3741 | Total Slides 26157 |
| Nov | 7 Day TAT 67.15% | 10 Day TAT 80.21% | 21 Day TAT 96.18% | Number of Cases 3951 | Total Slides 28585 |
| Dec | 7 Day TAT 65.85% | 10 Day TAT 79.42% | 21 Day TAT 96.16% | Number of Cases 4510 | Total Slides 31251 |
| 2025 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Jan | 7 Day TAT 73.81% | 10 Day TAT 85.48% | 21 Day TAT 96.96% | Number of Cases 3547 | Total Slides 23602 |
| Feb | 7 Day TAT 64.30% | 10 Day TAT 80.62% | 21 Day TAT 96.79% | Number of Cases 3983 | Total Slides 27396 |
| Mar | 7 Day TAT 65.44% | 10 Day TAT 79.42% | 21 Day TAT 96.04% | Number of Cases 4850 | Total Slides 34021 |
Monthly Non-Cancer Pathway TAT (Turnaround time)
| 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Sep | 7 Day TAT 40.22% | 10 Day TAT 54.39% | 21 Day TAT 90.78% | Number of Cases 2951 | Total Slides 13506 |
| Oct | 7 Day TAT 50.25% | 10 Day TAT 65.58% | 21 Day TAT 92.04% | Number of Cases 2426 | Total Slides 10619 |
| Nov | 7 Day TAT 48.89% | 10 Day TAT 71.55% | 21 Day TAT 94.61% | Number of Cases 2207 | Total Slides 10149 |
| Dec | 7 Day TAT 53.14% | 10 Day TAT 69.80% | 21 Day TAT 91.84% | Number of Cases 2550 | Total Slides 12321 |
| 2025 | 7 Day TAT | 10 Day TAT | 21 Day TAT | Number of Cases | Total Slides |
| Jan | 7 Day TAT 64.09% | 10 Day TAT 80.39% | 21 Day TAT 94.79% | Number of Cases 2055 | Total Slides 9627 |
| Feb | 7 Day TAT 53.02% | 10 Day TAT 74.84% | 21 Day TAT 94.79% | Number of Cases 2305 | Total Slides 10502 |
| Mar | 7 Day TAT 54.47% | 10 Day TAT 74.10% | 21 Day TAT 91.29% | Number of Cases 3042 | Total Slides 14598 |
For professionals
More information is available to staff via the Histopathology page on Connect (opens in a new tab) (login required), including the Histopathology user handbook.