In the past decades in molecular biotechnology marked advances were made which led to the development of a special branch of pathology and according to some concepts an independent discipline, molecular pathology. This discipline deals with investigations of processes associated with the genesis and development of diseases at the nucleic acid level, proteins coded by these nucleic acids and their signal pathways. To this end molecular-biological techniques are used and the results are put into context with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures of other medical disciplines. It provides extremely valuable information for clinical therapy, in particular of pati- ents with oncological diseases. In the submitted paper a review of some methods used in molecular pathology is given which may be applied in oncological practice. At present some of them are already integrated into common therapeutic protocols. Despite the apparent high cost of new molecular diagnostic methods this will in the long run lead to a reduction of costs spent on less sensitive, less effective and less specific tests as well as to a reduction of unnecessary examinations and to much more successful treatment.

        Key words: Molecular pathology - Oncology - Methods - Diagnostics - Individualized treatment