To guarantee diagnostic accuracy and precision, it is necessary to establish and institutionalize fundamental methods for quality control. However, the necessity for quality control of diagnostic cyto- and histopathology has not been well recognized in Japan yet, though trials for quality control have been carried out in several hospitals. In our country, human resources in the laboratories for diagnostic cyto- and histopathology are considerably poorer than in western countries, and direct introduction of quality control systems from these countries is difficult. To establish appropriate methods for internal and external quality control of diagnostic cyto- and histopathology, discussion is needed on the purpose and precise analysis of the current problems implicated in all processes of cyto- and histopathological diagnosis in Japan.

*1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu 520-2192