Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology
Open Access

Abstract

In the era of targeted therapy, the assessment and evaluation of solid tumors in pathology is becoming more and more based on a combination of the histopathology and the molecular analysis of tumor tissues or liquid biopsy. In addition, the choice of treatment protocols is increasingly based on the molecular features of the tumor as a consequence of the rapid development of new cancer treatments that specifically target aberrant proteins present in tumor cells. Not only the number of patients eligible for targeted precision medicine, but also the number of molecular targets per patient and tumor type is rising. Therefore, diagnostic molecular pathology has attained much attention in the last few years. It is of utmost importance to determine the relevant molecular aberrations present in tumors for diagnostic, prognostic or predictive purposes. However, this is faced with several challenges. First, the molecular pathology lab has to meet the challenge of doing the required molecular tests using the limited amount of tumor tissues embedded in paraffin after formalin fixation in short turnaround time. Second, the choice of the detection method is critical, since the analytical methods should provide accurate, reliable and cost-effective results. Third, the validation of the test procedures and results is essential. In addition, participation and good performance in internal (IQA) and external quality assurance (EQA) schemes is mandatory. However, in spite of all these obstacles, molecular pathology is increasingly becoming an integral part of the diagnostic workup of most solid tumors, as well as, in determining prognosis and response to treatment. The list of molecular tests for breast, lung, colon, stomach, bone and soft tissue tumors are continuously increasing.

Biography

Email: chaya2000@hotmail.com