Head and Neck/Oral Pathology Laboratory at Guys' Hospital

Laboratory overview

Our laboratory is a United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited medical laboratory (No.9323), accredited to ISO15189:2022 for the tests listed in our schedule of accreditation found on the UKAS website (https://www.ukas.com/wp-content/uploads/schedule_uploads/00007/9323-Medical-Multiple.pdf). The laboratory is led by a team of consultant staff, all of whom participate in the National External Quality Assurance Scheme for Head and Neck Pathology.

A range of immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridisation tests are included in the laboratory's UKAS flexible scope accredited to ISO15189:2012, as described in the 'Management of UKAS Flexible Scope' document (see below). All tests currently included within that flexible scope are listed in the 'Record of tests included in Flexible Scope' document (also below). 

Much of the workload comes from the SE London Cancer Network, for  whom the service provides specialised head and neck cancer reporting. This can come from Ear Nose and Throat Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Medicine clinical services.

The service has extensive research programmes linked to King's College  London (KCL) and Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust(GSTFT) in oral cancer and salivary gland disease and provides research support for clinical trials and basic research. It houses the head and neck tissue bank, part of the GSTFT Tissue and Data bank,and will arrange to receive certain cancer resection specimens fresh if required for banking.   A postal biopsy service is available to general dental practitioners. 

Key features:

We provide a full range of diagnostic histopathology including thyroid and parathyroid gland pathology, with particular specialist expertise in salivary gland disease, upper aerodigestive tract malignancy and pre-malignancy, base of skull and odontogenic and bone lesions.  

We also routinely provide services for:

• Oral cancer
• Odontogenic Tumours and other lesions of the mouth
• Pre-malignant lesions
• Lesions of the Ear
• Nose & Throat (including thyroid, parathyroid & larynx)
• Salivary gland tumours

We offer:

• Routine Histology
• Special stains
• frozen sections
• Immunohistochemistry
• DNA Image-based Ploidy Analysis,
• ground sections of bone & teeth (Note: this technique is not included in the UKAS scope of accreditation for this laboratory)

Three of our Consultants are GDC registered specialists in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology. A ploidy analysis service is available for risk assessment of upper aerodigestive tract dysplasia and a ploidy report can be issued on blocks sent from outside pathology services. The laboratory provides a seamless transparent service for all specimens, liaising with other reporting consultants for lymphoma and other specialist areas.

Our current User Guides and Request Forms, for both Hospital Specialties and GPs, are available below.