City Cancer Challenge
City project

Improving the quality of pathology services in Leon

Improving Pathology Diagnosis in Léon
City
León, Mexico
Project lead
Dr. Mario Murguía Pérez
Areas of action
Implementation
Cycle I

The challenge

  • Fragmented pathology services across León’s public and private sectors, with major disparities in infrastructure, access to specialised tests, and non-standardised reporting formats, limiting diagnostic accuracy and consistency.
  • Workforce limitations, including a high number of informally trained technicians, lack of mandatory certification, and insufficient access to ongoing education, especially on evolving cancer diagnostic technologies.
  • Absence of quality assurance systems, leading to inconsistent application of diagnostic standards, particularly in complex oncologic and haematological cases, delaying timely and reliable cancer care.

The goal

  • Standardise pathology reporting across public and private laboratories in León to ensure consistency, accuracy, and completeness in cancer diagnosis.
  • Improve communication between healthcare providers to support more informed clinical decision-making and lead to better patient outcomes.
  • Strengthen overall quality and efficiency of pathology services by reducing reporting errors and optimising laboratory workflows city-wide.

The How

  • Review existing national regulatory and policy frameworks governing medical and surgical oncology services.
  • Conduct a structured gap analysis comparing current oncology services with international quality and safety standards.
  • Facilitate a scientific visit to the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) to explore best practices in cancer care regulation and accreditation.
  • Engage international experts to support the development of context-appropriate regulatory requirements.
  • Provide evidence-based recommendations to the Ministry of Health to strengthen accreditation and classification of cancer care services.

Outputs

  • Situational analysis of pathology laboratories in the public and private systems of the city of León.
  • Standardised use of pathology reports for breast and colorectal cancers.

Team

Project Coordinator
Dr. Mario Murguía Pérez, Anatomical Pathology, High-Specialty Medical Unit of the Bajío, Specialty Hospital No. 1, Bajío National Medical Center, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
Project Team
Dr. Mario Murguía Pérez, Anatomical Pathology, High-Specialty Medical Unit of the Bajío, Specialty Hospital No. 1, Bajío National Medical Center, Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS)
Dr. Luis Raúl Chavira Guerrero, Pathologist, General Hospital of León, Guanajuato State Secretary of Health
Dr. Samnir Enríquez Macías, Pathologist, General Hospital of León, Guanajuato State Secretary of Health
Dr. Sergio Alejandro Albores Coutiño, Pathologist, Regional Hospital,Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers, ISSSTE, León
Dr. Johana Gutiérrez, Pathologist, Christus Muguerza Altagracia Hospital, León
Dr. José Aguirre Trigueros, Pathologist, Hospital Ángeles León
Dr. José Heliodoro Coronado Pérez, Pathologist, Aranda de la Parra Hospital

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