Neuropathologist calls into question the capacity of small centers to adequately diagnose brain tumors in the molecular age

With the emphasis on molecular diagnostics in the new WHO classification of tumors, an Austrian neuropathologist has called into question the capacity of smaller community hospitals, which don't have access to molecular techniques, to provide adequate diagnoses for many primary brain tumors. In an interview with the Science Daily website, Viennese neuropathologist Johannes Hainfellner (pictured) states: "Modern, advanced medical diagnosis of brain tumors relies heavily on the expertise of academic neuropathology. For this reason, smaller centers treating smaller numbers of cases and with standard pathology facilities without the benefit of university neuropathology have neither the requisite capacity nor the necessary routine." Hainfellner was a contributor to the new WHO book and has a research focus on biomarker validation and translation at the Medical University of Vienna.