[Role of pathology: tumour banks, quality of tissue and more?].

Human tissue, in particular tumour tissue, represents a basic requirement for the research topic "predictive pathology". For many approaches unfixed fresh frozen tissue is required. For the recruitment, asservation and storage standard operating procedures (e. g. "informed consent") have to be followed. The role of the pathologist in the organization of tumour banks is manifold. 1. The collection of fresh frozen tumour tissue has to be performed without interference with the diagnostic procedure, optimally by a trained pathologist within the operating theatre. 2. Prior to the use of fresh frozen tissue for non morphological prodecures a histopathological documentation of tissue has to be performed. 3. In many cases complementary analysis of paraffine embedded tumour tissue for the same cases is necessary (e. g. immunohistochemistry, tissue microarray analyses, etc.). 4. For special questions (laser)microdissection of tissue has to be applied and also requires pathohistological knowledge. 5. Interpretation of results of non morphological analysis has to be correlated with pathohistological findings. Furthermore, in addition to the above mentioned research goals, tumour banks are an important source for future diagnostic procedures in particular for individualiziation of tumour therapy which will be developed in the future. As a conclusion, the pathologist plays a pivotal role in the organization of tumour- respectively tissue banks. Care must be taken that banks should be organized on an interdisciplinary basis since besides tumour tissue clinical data are required for most scientific studies.