gms | German Medical Science

Introduction: In the age of genetic tumor profiling and tailored therapies, adequately preserved tissue material for research and diagnostic purposes has become mandatory. Modern surgical oncology research requires vital tissue provided by fresh frozen tissue banking (TB). The aim of this study was to initiate TB as a pilot project in a cantonal hospital lacking a pathological institute.

Materials and methods: Ethical approval was conceded in October 2008. Patients' data was recorded prospectively and reversibly made anonymous. The study eligibility criteria included patients with resectable cancer of the breast and colon. Sample collection was performed from the malignant and the surrounding healthy tissue by applying snap freezing using the isopentan technique the latest one hour after tumor resection. The tissue was stored at -80° C before transfer to the tissue bank of an University Institute of Pathology.

Results: The investment value accounted for CHF 38253.20 accompanied by running costs of approximately CHF 1000 per year. So far samples of 28 patients (5 of mamma and 23 of colon tumors) were collected over a period of nine months, whereas samples of two patients with colon tumors were missed due to operation in case of emergency at night and the weekend resulting in a sample rate of 93% (26/28) of all operated tumors of breast and colon. No patient denied consent after patient information. Eight malignant tumors were located in the sigmoid, nine in the ascending colon, including one double carcinoma from both origins, three in the caecum and one in the transverse colon.Two other colon specimens were collected due to suspected malignancy.

Conclusion: Initiating TB in a cantonal hospital without a pathological institute is feasible, but generous public or private funding is mandatory. TB and patient follow up data collection in a network of cantonal hospitals in collaboration with an academic institution may lead to easy access to vital specimens of tumor tissue for promising oncological molecular research on a multicenter basis.