Molecular pathology has significantly matured over the past decade to establish itself as a discipline in its own right. Patient diagnosis, prognosis, management and care have been influenced by molecular pathology testing algorithms on a global scale. Whether it pertains to carrier status of deleterious genes, diagnosis by molecular techniques, assessment of appropriate remission post treatment, parentage or forensics testing - molecular pathology continues to increase its presence and influence in the diagnostic laboratory armamentarium. Furthermore, intellectualization and proprietization of molecular pathology with respect to the discovery of new genes and or new techniques continues to pose new challenges of test ownership, legalities, liabilities, widespread acceptance and utility. This issue of Laboratory Clinics seeks to provide selective state of the art understanding of molecular pathology with respect to its relationship to key pathology disciplines as well as the current challenges and promise for the future

This updated issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, edited by Martin H. Bluth, will focus on Molecular Pathology. Topics include, but are not limited to, The Impact of Molecular Pathology on the Practice of Pathology; Molecular pathology techniques; Clinical Implication of MicroRNAs in Molecular Pathology; Diagnostic Molecular Microbiology; Molecular Pathology in Transfusion Medicine; Molecular Diagnosis of Hematopoietic Neoplasms; Molecular Diagnostics in Colorectal Carcinoma; Molecular Diagnostics in the Neoplasms of Small Intestine and Appendix; Molecular Diagnostics in Esophageal and Gastric Neoplasms; Molecular Diagnostics in the Neoplasms of the Pancreas, Liver, Gall Bladder, and Extrahepatic Biliary Tract; Current Applications of Molecular Genetic Technologies to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cutaneous Melanocytic Neoplasms; Breast Carcinoma; and Gynecologic Cancers.

This issue of Clinics in Laboratory Medicine, edited by Dr. Martin Bluth, will cover a wide array of topics related to drug testing and toxicology. Experts will discuss common drugs in analgesia, toxicology techniques, errors and interferences in toxicology testing, toxicology considerations in pain and addiction medicine, toxicology in reproductive endocrinology, forensic toxicology, and toxicology in emergency medicine, among others.