Impact of recent developments in lung cancer on the practice of pathology

Landmark events in the field of lung cancer in the past year have the potential to significantly alter the practice of pathology. Three key events are (1) approval of payment for low-dose computed tomography screening for lung cancer, (2) publication of an extensively revised World Health Organization classification of lung cancers, and (3) approval of immunohistochemistry based companion diagnostics by the US Food and Drug Administration. We briefly review these milestones in the context of their impact on the practice of pathology.