,Why Your Cancer Care Success May Depend on 100-Year-Old Technology (And What You Can Do About It)

The dirty little secret of cancer care is that the preservation method chosen for your tumor tissue could be the difference between accessing cutting-edge AI-driven treatments and being stuck with yesterday’s outdated and ineffective options. Here’s what every patient needs to know.

Imagine this scenario: You’ve just received a cancer diagnosis. Your oncologist removes the tumor, and in that crucial moment, a decision is made that could determine whether you’ll have access to the most advanced, personalized treatments available—or whether you’ll be limited to standard protocols that may not be optimized for your unique cancer profile.

That decision? How your precious tumor tissue is preserved.

While artificial intelligence is revolutionizing cancer treatment at breakneck speed, most hospitals are still using a preservation method invented over 100 years ago—one that may be inadvertently destroying the very molecular information that could save your life.

The Hidden Crisis in Cancer Care: When Old Tech Meets New Medicine

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: We’re living in the golden age of precision oncology, but most patients can’t access it because their tissue samples have been compromised from day one.

AI-powered platforms can now analyze your tumor’s complete molecular fingerprint, identify the most effective drug combinations, predict treatment responses, and even catch resistance patterns before they become problems. But there’s a catch—these revolutionary technologies require pristine molecular data to work their magic.

Unfortunately, the standard preservation method used in most hospitals today was developed in the 1890s, long before we understood DNA, RNA, or the intricate protein networks that drive cancer. This method, called formalin-fixed paraffin embedding (FFPE), was designed for one purpose: making tissue visible under a microscope. It was never intended to preserve the molecular integrity needed for today’s advanced treatments.

6 Ways Standard Tissue Preservation Is Sabotaging Your Cancer Care Treatment Options

1. Your DNA Story Gets Scrambled

FFPE preservation fragments and chemically alters DNA, making it nearly impossible for AI systems to read your tumor’s complete genetic blueprint. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing and the rest damaged. Cryopreservation of tumor tissue, on the other hand, maintains your DNA in its native state, giving AI algorithms the complete, unaltered genetic story they need to identify the most effective targeted therapies for your specific cancer type.

2. Critical Proteins Become Unrecognizable

The chemicals used in FFPE processing denature and mask proteins—the very molecules that many of today’s breakthrough immunotherapies and targeted drugs are designed to target. When proteins are damaged during preservation, biomarker tests become unreliable, potentially causing you to miss out on cancer care treatments that could be life-changing. Cryopreserved tissue maintains protein structure and function, ensuring that when new targeted therapies become available, your tissue can be accurately tested for compatibility.

3. RNA Messages Get Lost in Translation

RNA carries the real-time instructions that reveal how your cancer behaves, which genes are active, and how it might respond to different treatments. FFPE preservation severely degrades RNA, making advanced gene expression analysis nearly impossible. This means missing out on treatments selected based on your tumor’s actual activity patterns. Cryopreservation preserves RNA integrity, enabling comprehensive gene expression profiling that can guide precision treatment selection.

4. Biomarker Tests Become Unreliable

Many of today’s most promising treatments require specific biomarkers to be present and detectable. FFPE processing can make these biomarkers appear absent even when they’re actually there, or create false positives that lead to inappropriate treatment selections. With cryopreserved tissue, biomarker testing achieves maximum sensitivity and accuracy, ensuring you’re matched with cancer care treatments that truly align with your tumor’s characteristics.

5. Future Discoveries Pass You By

Perhaps most importantly, FFPE preservation limits your ability to benefit from future breakthroughs. As new biomarkers are discovered and novel AI algorithms are developed, degraded tissue samples simply can’t provide the high-quality data these innovations require. Cryopreserved tissue acts as an insurance policy for your future—maintaining the molecular integrity needed to access treatments that haven’t even been invented yet.

6. Advanced Genomic Analysis Becomes Impossible

The cutting-edge “omics” technologies—genomics, proteomics, metabolomics—that are driving the most exciting advances in cancer treatment require pristine molecular data. These comprehensive analyses can reveal drug resistance mechanisms, identify combination therapy opportunities, and predict treatment responses with unprecedented accuracy. But they simply can’t work with the compromised molecular information from FFPE samples.

The AI Revolution You Might Be Missing

Artificial intelligence is transforming cancer treatment in ways that seemed like science fiction just a few years ago. AI systems can now:

• Analyze thousands of molecular data points simultaneously to identify optimal drug combinations
• Predict which patients will respond to specific immunotherapies
• Detect early signs of treatment resistance before symptoms appear
• Match patients with clinical trials based on their tumor’s molecular profile
• Continuously learn from treatment outcomes to improve recommendations

But here’s the critical point: All of these AI-powered advances require high-quality molecular data to function effectively. Feed an AI system compromised data from FFPE-preserved tissue, and you’ll get compromised recommendations. It’s that simple.

Taking Control: Your Right to Choose

Here’s what most patients don’t realize: You have the right to request how your tissue is preserved. You don’t have to accept the hospital’s default approach. This is your tissue, your treatment journey, and your future—you deserve to have options. Take control of your cancer care starting with taking control of your tissue.

Cryopreservation—flash-freezing tissue samples in liquid nitrogen—maintains the molecular integrity that modern medicine demands. It’s the gold standard used by leading cancer research centers and pharmaceutical companies for their most important studies. Yet most patients never even know it’s an option.

The Specicare Advantage: Your Advocate in the Preservation Process

This is where qualified patient advocates like Specicare become invaluable. They understand the technical nuances of tissue preservation and can help you navigate conversations with your medical team. They know which questions to ask, how to ensure your tissue is preserved optimally, and how to connect you with the most advanced testing and treatment options available.

Working with an advocate means you’re not navigating this complex landscape alone. They can help you:

• Communicate your preservation preferences to your surgical team
• Ensure your tissue is processed using methods that maximize your future treatment options
• Connect you with laboratories and specialists who work with optimally preserved samples
• Stay informed about emerging treatments that might benefit from your preserved tissue

Planning Ahead: The Insurance Policy You Hope Never to Use

None of us wants to think about facing cancer, but having a plan in place—just like having health insurance—can make all the difference if the unthinkable occurs. Consider having a conversation with your family about tissue preservation preferences. Know your options. Identify advocates who can help if needed.

Think of cryopreservation as an insurance policy for your future treatment options. It costs relatively little upfront but could be worth everything if you ever need to access the most advanced treatments available.

The Bottom Line: Your Tissue, Your Future and Your Cancer Care

We’re living in an incredible era of medical advancement. AI-powered precision medicine is no longer a distant dream—it’s happening right now in leading cancer centers around the world. Patients are achieving remarkable outcomes with treatments tailored specifically to their tumor’s molecular profile.

But accessing these breakthrough treatments requires one crucial element: tissue samples that can provide the high-quality molecular data these systems need to work.

Don’t let a preservation decision made in the 1890s limit your access to treatments developed in the 2020s and beyond. Take control of your tissue preservation choices. Work with qualified advocates who understand the landscape. Ensure that if you ever face a cancer diagnosis, you’ll have access to every possible treatment option—including the ones that haven’t been invented yet.

Your future self will thank you for thinking ahead about tomorrow’s cancer care.

Ready to learn more about your tissue preservation options? Connect with qualified advocates like Specicare who can help you navigate these important decisions and ensure you’re prepared for whatever the future may hold.