The gift of timely answers

For patients facing the possibility of a cancer diagnosis, waiting for biopsy results can feel like the longest days of their lives. Thanks to donor support, Baylor Scott & White helps patients across Central Texas receive answers and begin personalized treatment sooner.

Donors funded four additional digital slide scanners and specialized laboratory equipment. Using these digital scanners, pathologists convert microscopic images of tissue samples on glass slides into high-resolution digital images that specialists across Baylor Scott & White can review securely within minutes. Pathologists in Temple, Dallas, Austin, Round Rock, College Station and other locations can consult in real time, helping physicians deliver answers to patients sooner. The investment enables the laboratory to process more than 30,000 digital images per month.

“Our goal is to provide physicians with rapid diagnoses so they can give patients answers as quickly as possible,” said Arundhati Rao, MD, PhD, senior vice president of pathology and laboratory medicine and chair of pathology for Baylor Scott & White Health.

Donor support has also strengthened the laboratory’s in-house genetic testing program, which helps doctors understand a tumor’s genetic makeup and prescribe targeted treatments. New automated equipment prepares tissue samples for sequencing and allows pathologists to analyze hundreds of cancer-related genes without sending specimens to outside laboratories.

Pathologists can now deliver comprehensive reports in as little as 10 to 14 days instead of the six to eight weeks patients often experience elsewhere. Behind every test result is a patient waiting for answers. These advances reduce turnaround times from weeks to days, helping physicians confirm diagnoses sooner, identify effective treatment options and begin care without unnecessary delays.

“Philanthropy is a true gift,” said Michelle Rodriguez, MD, medical director of laboratories at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Temple. “These investments help us provide the advanced care our communities deserve. We’re good stewards of every dollar because it directly benefits our fellow Texans.”

A possible cancer diagnosis can leave patients and families searching for answers. Your generosity helps deliver those answers sooner, informs critical treatment decisions and provides reassurance at a moment when time and clarity mean everything.