[Molecular diagnosis of lymphomas and leukaemias]

In the last years molecular diagnosis has become a routine method m the evaluation of haematological malignancies. Various techniques are used to assess B- and T-cell clonality, chromosomal rearrangements involving protooncogenes, monitoring of minimal residual disease as well as genome wide scanning methods such as comparative genomic hybridization or spectral karyotyping. The review explores some avenues in which molecular techniques can affect patient's retrospective and prospective diagnosis. The major advantages and disadvantages of some of these techniques are described and their place in the scheme of diagnosis and treatment is briefly summarised.