Klin Onkol 2006; 19(Suppl2): 389-396.
Summary
The diagnosis of hematologic malignancies is currently based on morphology and analysis of a few of molecular markers of cancer cells. Responses to treatment and clinical outcomes of patients within these diagnostic categories are heterogenous. What is the reason of this situation? The inadequacy of existing diagnostic methods or diagnostic categories? Cancer is, in essence, a genetic disease. DNA microarrays represents a tool capable of both detecting and quantifying expression of tens of thousands genes (expression profiling) in a very short period of time. On this account DNA micrarrays are used to identify new molecular markers important for diagnostic and clasification of cancer and prediction of treatment outcome. The aim of this review article is to introduce to some fundamental discoveries provided by microarray technology in lymphoid malignancies.
