Teleradiology-Based Clinical Oncology Imaging Reporting in Eight Remote Tertiary Oncology Centres- Six-year Retrospective Study from North Eastern India

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most significant global health challenges of the 21st century. Besides promoting public awareness, lifestyle modification programs and technology-driven solutions are vital to ensure timely detection, equitable access, and managing the increasing cancer burden. Teleradiology services employing highly qualified radiologists with availability around the clock have been established as a vital tool in diagnosing and precisely staging the cancers in patients located in remote and unserved areas. The study aims to evaluate and determine whether teleradiology can reliably extend specialized oncologic imaging services to centers that lack on-site radiology expertise. A retrospective evaluation of CT, PET CT, MR and PET-MR studies for the workup of cancer at various sites in the body, for which data were collected over a period of 6 years from May 2019 to September 2025 from oncology centers in the remote corners of northeast India. A total of 49,162 imaging studies were analysed and classified based on the regional distribution of cancer. Initiation of prompt reporting, retrospectively calculation of the mean turnaround time for dispatch of reports, maintaining a healthy TAT of < 24 hours, and standardized quality assessment analysis for missed, incomplete findings and typographical errors ensured high quality of reports. Teleradiology services facilitate the development of better and more effective reporting, thereby perhaps contributing to the outcome of patients with cancer.