Table 1.

Summary of the recommended retention policies for different material within the pathology laboratories proposed by national and international pathology colleges/societies and national/local governance authority

Authority	FFPE blocks	Histological slides	Gynaecological cytology slides	Non-gynaecological cytology slides	WSI
CAP (USA)31	10y	10y	5y	10y	10y
RCPath (UK)32	30y*	15y†	10y	10y	8y
SIAPEC/MoH (IT)9	10y	10y	10y	10y	10y
Lombardy Region governance (IT)33	50y	50y	10y	50y‡	30y§

*If no facilities, 10 years, retaining most relevant blocks permanently.

†If from children, until they reach the age of 25.

‡If representing the only pathological sample available, otherwise 5 years.

§From the elimination of the corresponding glass slide.

FFPE, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded; WSI, whole slide images; y, years; CAP, College of American Pathologists; RCPath, The Royal College of Pathologists; SIAPEC, Società Italiana di Anatomia Patologica e Citologia Diagnositca; Ministry of Health.