Fresh tissue harvest for research from prostatectomy specimens.

As a consequence of molecular biological and genetic techniques, the demand for fresh tissue for basic research has increased dramatically at academic medical centers. Because of the extreme lability of many biological macromolecules, tissue must be harvested with the least possible delay from the time of removal. This necessity for quick action, frequently under less than optimal circumstances, along with the obvious loss of tissue available for diagnostic purposes, presents a daunting challenge to the pathologist responsible for accurate grading and staging of the cancer. A novel approach is described for the procurement of fresh and freshly frozen prostatic tissue with acceptable limitations on subsequent morphological analysis.