[Lung tumours under the microscope]

Only through a precise pretherapeutic characterization is it possible to develop an optimal, specific treatment for lung carcinoma. In addition to confirming the diagnosis, the task of the pathologist is to characterize the tumour in terms of histology, grade, stage and if necessary, special properties. Because a histological assessment is subject to many sources of errors, interpretation of the often very small tumour samples should be performed only in conjunction with clinical and imaging findings.