Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Optimization of Breast Biopsy and Mastectomy Sample Collection Procedures for Biobanking, Personalized Medicine, and Research Applications
Published on: September 2, 2025
Standardized processing of native tissue in breast pathology
1Institute of Pathology, Carl Neuberg Straße, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
Insights
This study introduces a novel method for preserving unfixed breast tissue during surgery, ensuring native tissue availability for crucial biomarker analysis and tumor banking. This technique enhances pathological assessment and tissue preservation for future research.
Area of Science:
- Pathology
- Surgical Oncology
- Biomarker Research
Background:
- Intraoperative frozen sections are often replaced by core needle and vacuum biopsies, hindering the collection of unfixed breast specimens.
- Preserving native breast tissue is critical for accurate biomarker assessment and tumor banking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a method for immediate intraoperative macroscopic analysis and vacuum-cooling of breast specimens.
- To enable the preservation of native breast tissue for biomarker analysis and tumor banking, overcoming limitations of current biopsy techniques.
Main Methods:
- Immediate intraoperative macroscopic analysis of resection margins.
- Vacuum-cooling of breast specimens to preserve native tissue.
- Slicing of native tissue before formalin fixation for standardized fixation.
- Processing over 350 breast specimens as native specimens since 2013.
Main Results:
- Native tissue for biomarker analyses and tumor banking was successfully preserved in all cases.
- The method allows for immediate intraoperative pathological analysis when required.
- Standardized and uniform tissue fixation was achieved through pre-formalin slicing.
Conclusions:
- The described technique effectively preserves unfixed breast tissue for biomarker analysis and tumor banking.
- This approach enhances pathological assessment and facilitates future research by ensuring tissue viability.
Abstract:
In breast surgery, replacement of intraoperative frozen section by core needle and vacuum biopsies hampers collections of unfixed breast specimens. We practice immediate intraoperative macroscopic analysis of resection margins and vacuum-cooling of breast specimens to enable native tissue asservation for assessment of biological markers and tissue banking of tumor tissue. In addition, slicing of native tissue before formalin fixation guarantees a standardized and uniform fixation. Starting in 2013, more than 350 breast specimens were processed as native specimens in the Institute of Pathology of Hannover Medical School. Breast specimens with an invasive carcinoma and request of an intraoperative resection margin assessment were processed with an immediate intraoperative pathological analysis. All other breast specimens without assessment of an intraoperative resection margin were vacuum-fixed processed. In all cases, native tissue for biomarker analyses and tumor banking could be preserved.
