Unlocking diagnostic value at Fimlab with Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite

In modern clinical pathology, adopting artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just about algorithm accuracy. A key success factor is seamless workflow integration. Pathology departments manage high sample volumes under strict turnaround times, with vendor lock-in and fragmented software as major obstacles to scaling their digital pathology workflows.

Last June, at the European Congress of Digital Pathology (ECDP) 2026, Aiforia presented a compelling real-world AI-empowered digital pathology showcase together with Philips and Softwarepoint, demonstrating how an end-to-end integrated ecosystem is designed to deliver tangible clinical value in routine diagnostics at Fimlab.

High diagnostic volumes require seamless interoperability

Fimlab is one of Finland's leading medical laboratory service providers, serving multiple healthcare regions including Pirkanmaa, Kanta-Häme, Central Finland, Päijät-Häme, and Ostrobothnia. Operating across 4 laboratory locations with a team of 35 pathologists, Fimlab processes approximately:

• 140,000 total samples per annum
• 550,000 whole slide images (WSIs) per annum across specialties
• 2,100 breast biopsy cases analyzed annually

Managing total volumes this high requires a solid, enterprise-grade digital setup. Simultaneously, in subspecialties like breast pathology, where precision is critical, pathologists need fast, accurate, automated AI support to achieve higher throughput. All this to be achieved, without adding extra steps to a pathologist's day. 

To enable high-volume AI-empowered breast cancer analysis without operational friction, Fimlab established an open, best-in-class digital architecture combining three specialized vendors:

• Softwarepoint (LVMS/LIMS) receives diagnostic orders, manages histology workflows, sends analysis-trigger messages, and imports structured AI results directly into the laboratory management system.
• Philips captures high-resolution whole slide images (WSIs) using Philips ultra-fast slide scanners (UFS / SGS / UVS) and handles histology image storage and viewing.
• Aiforia provides AI-empowered decision support for pathologists with the CE-IVD marked Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite, connected seamlessly via Aiforia Bridge using global healthcare standards like HL7 v2 and FHIR.

How it works in practice?

The automated diagnostic workflow runs fluidly across the ecosystem:

1. Diagnostic orders are entered into Softwarepoint's LVMS system.
2. Tissue slides are scanned using Philips scanners and prepared for digital review.
3. LVMS sends an HL7/FHIR notification message via Aiforia Bridge to request AI analysis.
4. Aiforia fetches the WSI file and executes AI inference across relevant morphologies.
5. Pathologists launch the Aiforia® Platform using Single Sign-On (SSO) directly from their primary workflow interface.
6. Diagnostic reports are reviewed and confirmed in Aiforia® Clinical Viewer, which automatically transfers structured report results back into LVMS.

Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite consists of AI models with an optimized interactive user interface that supports pathologists in the histological grading of breast cancer and in the assessment of breast cancer IHC markers.

AI-driven decision support

At the core of Fimlab’s clinical decision support is Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite. Designed specifically to alleviate diagnostic burden and enhance precision, the suite features five CE-IVD marked AI models:

• Aiforia® Breast Cancer Grading
• Aiforia® Breast Cancer Ki67
• Aiforia® Breast Cancer ER
• Aiforia® Breast Cancer PR
• Aiforia® Breast Cancer HER2

Aiforia’s clinical validation study demonstrates that using AI in routine clinical workflows reduces time by up to 54% for biomarker analyses such as Ki67, significantly accelerating turnaround times for patient results.

Building a future-proof digital pathology solution

During the Interoperability Showcase presentation at ECDP 2026, Dr. Lasse Nieminen, MD, Pathologist at Fimlab, shared key practical insights from using the Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite in daily practice:

• AI output provides an immediate, automated second opinion on complex or borderline cases, reducing the need for internal consultations.
• Interactive heatmaps assist pathologists in rapidly locating mitoses and Grade 3 nuclei.
• The AI algorithm performs full-sample Ki67 cell counts faster and more consistently than manual estimation, automatically filtering out non-tumor or control tissue.
• Automated transfer of structured findings from Aiforia back into the LVMS eliminates double-entry errors and saves critical administrative time.

Fimlab's experience proves that healthcare institutions do not need to choose between specialized best-of-breed software and workflow convenience. By adopting vendor-neutral standards (HL7 v2, FHIR) and enabling interoperability among best-in-class vendors such as Philips, Softwarepoint, and Aiforia, healthcare providers can equip pathologists with state-of-the-art AI tools and optimize clinical workflow efficiency, leading to elevated patient care.

→ Ready to explore how Aiforia’s clinical AI solutions can integrate into your laboratory ecosystem?

Discover the Aiforia® Breast Cancer Suite, or contact our team today to request a demo.