Procedure for optimal tissue processing for a soft tissue mass

Tissue preparation	Studies
Intraoperative samples	Frozen tissue with cryopreservative
Intraoperative samples	Cytological, touch preparations, scrape and squash imprints for histologic diagnosis and FISH
Formalin-fixed tissue	Routine histopathology
	Immunohistochemical staining
	RT-PCR
	FISH for cytogenetics (tissue sections)
Glutaraldehyde-fixed tissue	Electron microscopy
Fresh tissue (tissue culture media)	Cytogenetics
	Molecular studies (FISH, RT-PCR for translocations)
	Tissue culture
Fresh tissue	Flow cytometry (DNA ploidy, cell surface markers)
Frozen tissue (no cryopreservative)	Molecular studies, gene rearrangement (FISH, RT-PCR), immunocytochemistry, microarray gene analysis, next-generation sequencing, precision medicine for tumor gene fusion and gene mutation panels
Alcohol-fixed tissue	Immunocytochemistry (if required improved cytoplasmic preservation)
	Microarray gene analysis
	Cytologic imprinting for FISH studies

FISH: fluorescence in situ hybridization; RT-PCR: reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.

Graphic 62670 Version 4.0