The role of molecular genetic diagnosis in clinical oncology

Molecular genetic analysis is a mandatory component of modern clinical oncology. The best developed area of application of DNA testing is related to the management of patients with hereditary cancer syndromes. Administration of a number of targeted drugs relies on the identification of somatic mutations in tumor tissue. There is a growing interest to so-called liquid biopsy, which is aimed at identification of tumorspecific fragments (DNA, RNA, proteins, cells etc.) in peripheral blood or other body fluids. Individual generation of tumor cell lines and xenografts is an attractive component of personalized cancer medicine. Incorporation of next generation sequencing in the management of cancer patients appears to be key event of this decade, which will significantly reshape daily medical practice in the near future.