National Tissue Freezing Protocol is Essential for Modern Cancer Care and Research.

Abstract

Modern cancer care and precision medicine increasingly rely on high quality human tissue yet tissue preservation practices in many healthcare systems remain outdated. Traditional formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues while long established, is poorly suited to modern molecular and multi-omics technologies due to chemical degradation of DNA, RNA, and proteins. In contrast tissue freezing preserves molecular integrity and enables advanced proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics, and metabolomics analyses that are essential for accurate diagnosis, treatment selection, and biomedical research. To address these disparities, there is a compelling case for adopting a fixed nationally agreed tissue freezing protocol such a protocol should be implemented across all hospitals and aligned with consent, storage, and transport standards. Without a standardized protocol valuable tissue samples may become unsuitable for modern diagnostics ultimately constraining both patient care and scientific advancement.