The morphological intricacies of brain tumours and how they influence diagnostic judgements undoubtedly appeal to clinical neuropathologists! However, we are increasingly required to undertake the classification of brain tumours against the backdrop of burgeoning data on their molecular biology and whether this information has diagnostic or therapeutic utility. Methodological advancements have been critical here; a huge amount of data has been generated from array-based technologies, and next-generation sequencing promises even more. Defining both the biological and clinical significance of this information has often been a challenge, requiring optimal evaluation of potential 'biomarkers' in the setting of a clinical trial, which allows comparison with clinicopathological variables of known prognostic or predictive utility. However, as these data have been distilled into molecular assays of proven value, the age of diagnostic molecular pathology has undeniably arrived for patients with brain tumours.
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