TRANSFORMING CANCER DIAGNOSTICS WITH CANON PTZ CAMERAS IN SWEDEN

In the fight against cancer, timing is crucial as early detection is pivotal to survival. The photographic documentation of human specimens is a vital step in diagnosis, informing the course of on-going treatment and influencing key decisions post-surgery. Recognising the need for enhanced efficiency in this process, CarePointer, a healthcare solutions company in Stockholm, identified a gap in the digital pathology workflow and partnered with Canon Nordics to pioneer the use of Canon PTZ cameras in unorthodox circumstances.

Client: CarePointer
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

“We saw a need for hospitals to make their pathology workflow more efficient, with the help of digital imaging technology. In terms of hardware solutions, there were several requirements, such as image quality, remote control, ease of use and integration possibilities, which is why the Canon CR-N300 PTZ was a really strong fit,” says Kristian Skotte, Founder and CTO of CarePointer, based in Stockholm, Sweden.

“It has high 4K image quality and image stabilisation. It’s easy for anyone to control via our software, and it can adapt to different lighting conditions at each workstation,” he adds. “The 20x optical zoom works well over a short distance, which is important for viewing the specimens in high detail.” The 4K quality also enables pathologists to zoom in digitally or crop into specific details for closer examination without losing quality.

Mounted above a workstation with the lens pointing downwards, the CR-N300 PTZ camera – combined with PathPoint Macro – simplifies the digital documentation process in the lab.

CarePointer developed PathPoint Macro themselves, which is a streamlined software product that remotely controls the camera, provides highly specialised drawing tools and securely manages patient information. The simple interface enables the user to easily capture and store high-quality images. The camera's adaptability to lighting conditions and the Canon XC Protocol integration were highlighted as factors that significantly improved usability and consistency in image documentation.

The introduction of the solution led to a standardised and streamlined workflow with efficiency gains in resource utilisation. Doctors and lab technicians could capture images without a camera operator, directly annotating and adding them to a digital inventory. “Since it’s so quick and easy, they end up taking more photos of specimens than before, which improves overall documentation to make a better diagnosis,” says Magnus Hök, Founder and CEO of CarePointer.

This is the first time Canon PTZs are being used in this fashion in Europe. So far, 42 cameras have been implemented across four major Swedish hospitals, setting new standards in image quality and forming a more consistent documentation process overall.

With ambitions to expand this innovation beyond borders in Europe, the Canon and CarePointer collaboration has the potential to enhance cancer treatment outcomes for more patients and impact the greater good of wider society further.