Standardization of Tissue Handling From the OR to the Laboratory

Abstract

S pecimen handling and identification, specimen transport from the OR, and specimen delivery to the pathology department represent important patient safety concerns. These concerns result both from advances in clinical practice and what appears to be a lack of updated knowledge and understanding on the part of perioperative personnel about what is required to deliver a highquality, optimal clinical specimen to the pathology laboratory. Accurate evaluation of tissue specimens for any disease process that may be present is highly dependent on the quality of these samples, especially with the introduction of targeted cancer therapies that are based on the molecular profiling of tumor tissues and the advancement of clinical medicine into a new era of individualized cancer care. As molecular analysis of human tissue samples becomes increasingly clinically important, the accuracy, reliability, and relevance of pathology tissue analysis should include an understanding of the importance of providing high-quality clinical specimens for these types of analysis. The policies and procedures for collecting and preserving tissue samples in some hospitals and clinics are decades old and often involve only the morphologic examination of the tissue after fixation in 10% neutral buffered formalin, which stabilizes and preserves the morphology of the sample. The