In 2024, an estimated 2,001,140 new cancer cases will be diagnosed. This equates to more than 5,000 diagnoses each day. Following the harrowing news, patients and their medical team will begin discussing treatment options to determine the plan of attack. For most, the standard treatment of care will include a mix of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, or hormone therapy.
Despite the advances in resources and treatment options, over 600,000 deaths from cancer are projected in the U.S. this year. While several factors play into a patient’s cancer survival rate, every opportunity to increase their chances must be explored. As a patient or a loved one of someone recently diagnosed with cancer or a recurrence, it’s imperative you talk to your clinical team about preserving your live tumor tissue before surgery to give yourself the greatest chance of survival.
Known as Live Tissue Science™, the collection of living tumor tissue unlocks personalized treatments and revelations in cancer care. Every tumor is unique and should be treated based on its distinctive characteristics. A patient-driven approach based on Live Tissue Science moves beyond routine therapies, creating access to researchers, clinical trials, ex vivo therapy testing, clinical vaccines, organoid creation and more.
Studies have found preserving live tumor tissue can advance treatment from 10% to as high as 50% success rates.
How Does Live Tissue Science Work
Live tumor tissue unlocks new personalized treatment options and revelations in cancer care that were not previously available. By saving and preserving living tumor tissue, patients receive a new validation step for effective therapies optimal for long-term survival.
Going beyond genomics, Live Tissue Science uses the patient’s tissue as the guinea pig instead of the patient. Researchers can grow the tissue in a laboratory setting and test it against as many as 300 known cancer drugs to provide insights on the courses of treatment that performed most effectively. This creates an individualized clinical trial tailored exclusively to the patient, exploring treatment options that would not have been considered before.
For one SpeciCare patient, a breast cancer drug proved to be most effective in treating her stage four colorectal cancer.
Another important use case for collecting live tumor tissue is cryopreserving the tissue for future use giving the patient full ownership of their tissue. Whether they move to a new provider or have a recurrence down the road, having access to their live tissue can provide invaluable information to increase their survival rates.
Benefits of Collecting and Preserving Live Tumor Tissue
There are several lifesaving benefits to collecting and storing your live tumor tissue, including:
- More Options – Storing tumor tissue opens the door to significantly more opportunities – both in the short-term and long-term – to win the fight against cancer. More than half of patients who store their tumor tissue utilize a portion within the first year, creating access to new options that can be delivered locally with the patient’s own clinical care team.
- Improved Quality of Life – Access to live tumor tissue allows the tissue to travel in place of the patient as part of a result-directed treatment program and clinical recommendations administered by local care teams. This allows patients to stay home close to family and friends while the tissue does the work.
- Access to Precision Diagnostics – Living tumor tissue can be used for organoid creation, access to clinical trials, genetic sequencing, individualized vaccine, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), chemo-sensitivity testing, and other precision medicine treatment options to quickly identify a treatment program personalized specifically for the patient, without unnecessary side effects or trial and error.
- Improved Outcomes – The most important benefit is improved patient outcomes. Live Tissue Science can advance treatment success rates from 10% to more than 50% today.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a terrifying experience for everyone involved. For patients, it’s imperative to take charge of your journey and ensure your clinical team is taking every step to achieve positive outcomes.
To speak to a SpeciCare representative to learn more or to request a collection kit, visit specicare.com/contact to increase your chances.
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