Application of proteomic technologies to cytologic specimens. A review

With the increasing use of molecular biology techniques in routine pathology practice, it seems reasonable that their application to cytologic specimens will become popular in the near future. Proteomics is a novel area of research that involves the global analysis of tissue proteins using diverse technologies, such as 2-D gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. This review discusses recent applications of proteomic analysis to cytologic specimens as well as its potential in the diagnosis of neoplastic and nonneoplastic disease.