[Molecular diagnostics and imaging]

Molecular diagnostic methods and biological imaging techniques can make a major contribution to tailoring patients' treatment needs with regard to medical, ethical and pharmaco-economic aspects. Modern diagnostic methods are already being used to help identify different sub-groups of patients with thoracic tumours who are most likely to benefit significantly from a particular type of treatment. This contribution looks at the most recent developments that have been made in the field of thoracic tumour diagnosis and analyses the pros and cons of new molecular and other imaging techniques in day-to-day clinical practice.