Molecular diagnosis in lung diseases

Abstract

The development of different molecular biology techniques in the past decade has led to an explosion of new research in molecular pathology with consequent important applications to diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics, as well as a clearer concept of the disease pathogenesis. Many methods used in molecular pathology are now validated and used in several areas of pathological diagnosis, particularly on infectious and neoplastic diseases. The spectrum of infectious diseases, especially lung infective diseases, is now broadening and modifying, thus the pathologist is increasingly involved in the diagnosis of these pathologies. The precise tissue characterization of lung infections has an important impact on specific therapeutic treatment. Increased knowledge of significant alterations in lung cancer has led today to a better understanding of the pathogenic substrate underlying the development, progression and metastasis of neoplastic processes. Molecular tests are now routinely performed in different lung tumors allowing a more precise patient stratification in terms of prognosis and therapy. This review focuses on molecular pathology of the principal infective lung diseases and tumors.

Lung allograft standardized histological analysis (LASHA) template: A research consensus proposal

“…The template requires reporting of results of any ancillary testing that was done including histochemical, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescent (for C4d) stains, and molecular techniques. 19 Some aspects of tissue processing and analysis are omitted as they are center-specific and are left to the discretion of individual centers, for example, TBB vs cryobiopsy approaches and techniques for C4d evaluation (immunohistochemistry vs immunofluorescence).…”