Collection of Fresh Tumor Samples

In 2020, FICAN South launched a project to systematically collect fresh tumor samples for freezing. The aim of the project was to improve the treatment and prognosis of cancer patients by collecting fresh tumor samples more systematically. The collection of fresh samples has become part of routine operations.
A fresh sample refers to a piece of tissue taken from a tumor removed during cancer surgery and then frozen. These samples are crucial for personalized cancer treatment and benefit clinical research, such as the FINPROVE drug study.

Fresh samples are primarily used in research and the development of new personalized drug treatments. They are also used in patient diagnostics to select the best treatment options. For research use, a separate biobank consent or informed consent for potential clinical studies is required from the patient.

All cancer treatment units at HUS, the Pathology Department of the HUS Diagnostic Center, the Helsinki Biobank, and the iCAN research project , which identifies new treatment targets and aims to improve treatment conditions through personalized cancer profiling, were involved in the project.