MOLECULAR PATHOLOGY IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF HEMATOLOGIC NEOPLASIA

Over the past decade molecular genetic methods have played an increasi ngly important role in the diagnosis of hematologic malignancies. More over, they have provided a tool to analyze many of the non-random cyto genetic anomalies associated with hematologic neoplasias, contributing considerally to our understanding of several of those diseases, and t o improving diagnostic accuracy. The rapid development of molecular ge netics progressively allows the replacement of time-consuming and tech nically demanding procedures. Even more relevant are the new clinical applications that already include the search for valuable prognostic i nformation and ways of evaluating minimal residual disease or recogniz ing early relapsing disease. This paper is a critical but necessarily simplified overview of the main contributions of molecular genetics to the field of hematopathology. We discuss the information provided by several molecular methods within different clinical contexts, covering common problems in diagnostic pathology as well as prognostic evaluat ion and therapy monitoring.