About the public database
In the Netherlands, all pathology results are digitally archived in the Automated National Pathological Anatomy Archive (Palga). The archive was founded in 1971 and achieved nationwide coverage in 1991. This means that every pathology lab in the Netherlands is connected to the national infrastructure. Each year, the pathology labs generate over 2 million new test results for cytology (and population cytology), histology and autopsies. The database, which is unique both in terms of its size and of the nationwide cooperation involved, contains almost all excerpts from over 12 million patients.