Department of Haematology, Centre for Cancer Biology, SA Pathology, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Pathology. 2011 Oct;43(6):566-79. doi: 10.1097/PAT.0b013e32834a9da8.
The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was a revolutionary step in molecular biology, allowing for small amounts of genetic material to be amplified and studied. The advent of real-time PCR was a further refinement that led to reliable quantification of RNA and DNA. This allowed response monitoring and the detection of minimal residual disease, which proved to have important correlations with outcome in certain malignancies. The technology is indispensable for physicians and pathologists caring for oncology patients. In this article we will review the applications of molecular technology in the diagnosis and management of malignancies. Using chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) as an example, technical aspects and clinical correlations will be discussed, with emphasis on the importance of quality assurance and standardisation to allow for comparability of results across laboratories. We will also examine emerging technologies that allow for high throughput and rapid turnaround of specimens and speculate how these would affect outcomes in future health care. The established and emerging molecular technologies have applications in many fields of oncology.
聚合酶链反应（PCR）的使用是分子生物学的一个革命性步骤，使得少量的遗传物质得以扩增和研究。实时 PCR 的出现是进一步的改进，导致 RNA 和 DNA 的可靠定量。这允许监测反应和检测最小残留疾病，事实证明，这与某些恶性肿瘤的结果有重要关联。该技术对照顾肿瘤患者的医生和病理学家来说是不可或缺的。在本文中，我们将回顾分子技术在恶性肿瘤的诊断和管理中的应用。以慢性髓性白血病（CML）为例，讨论技术方面和临床相关性，强调质量保证和标准化的重要性，以确保实验室之间的结果具有可比性。我们还将研究允许快速处理和周转标本的新兴技术，并推测它们将如何影响未来医疗保健的结果。已建立和新兴的分子技术在肿瘤学的许多领域都有应用。
