HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tomlinson, I Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tomlinson, I

Molecular pathology of solid tumours: translating research into clinical practice. Introduction and overview

Molecular and Population Genetics Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK

Research in pathology has increasingly come to involve molecular techniques, so that these are currently routine in academic histopathology and genetics laboratories. Molecular markers—largely from tumours, but also from the germline—have great potential for diagnosis, for directing treatment, and as indicators of outcome. However, in general, clinical practice has lagged behind research in molecular histopathology. This is in contrast to clinical genetics, in which cloning of disease genes has usually led to the introduction of molecular testing soon afterwards.

The question remains unanswered as to why histopathology departments have been slower to instigate molecular testing; but there are several clues. Is medical science at fault for not providing useful molecular markers? Are there problems bringing together the expertise from National Health Service (NHS) laboratories of molecular genetics, cytogenetics, and histopathology? Is there not only an inevitable lack of funding, but also an absence of sympathy for molecular techniques? Is there . . . [Full text of this article]