Doing What It Takes: Our Commitment to Patients and Fresh Tissue Collection
Fighting rare cancers is urgent. These cancers don’t get as much attention as common ones, meaning there’s less research, fewer treatments, and not enough public awareness. At the Rare Cancer Research Foundation (RCRF), we’re focused on changing that by providing researchers with one of the most important resources they need: fresh tissue samples from patients who have given their consent. We believe that having access to high-quality tissue is a game-changer that can lead to breakthroughs and save lives.
Why is fresh tissue so important?
One of the biggest challenges in rare cancer research is the lack of biological samples. Without fresh tissue, scientists can’t fully understand how these cancers grow, test new treatments, or discover the key markers that could help in diagnosis or treatment. Fresh tissue allows researchers to do more advanced studies like testing how cancer cells react to different treatments or creating lab models that mimic real tumors.
Preserved tissue samples, like those stored in paraffin wax, cannot provide the same level of detail for experiments. Fresh tissue keeps its natural structure and biology intact, making it much more useful for the kind of deep research needed to develop new treatments.
What are the challenges in getting tissue from hospitals?
Getting fresh tissue from hospitals isn’t simple. It involves a lot of complex steps, including making sure everything follows ethical guidelines and getting approval from the hospital staff. RCRF works closely with doctors, pathologists, and hospital administrators to make sure tissue collection happens smoothly.
RCRF also makes sure that patients fully understand how their tissue will be used and agree to donate it. It’s crucial that patients give informed consent, knowing that their donation could help future cancer research.
Here’s Why RCRF Won’t Stop
For patients with rare cancers, time is critical. Many don’t have many treatment options, and their future is uncertain. That’s why RCRF is so determined to collect fresh tissue as quickly as possible and give researchers the tools they need to find new therapies faster than ever before.
RCRF does everything it can to make sure the sample is consented for and collected from the hospital where the procedure took place, with a preference for proper consent at least a week prior. But sometimes patients don’t have a lot of time before their procedure, so even if a patient consents on pattern.org just a day or two prior, the RCRF team will do whatever they can to honor a patient’s wish to donate their tissue to research. Every fresh tissue sample brings us closer to understanding these cancers and finding new treatments.
A Partnership With Patients
RCRF’s work wouldn’t be possible without patients. By donating tissue, you can become an active participant in the fight against rare cancers. Your donations help create new research opportunities and might even lead to treatments that benefit you or a loved one personally. Most importantly, you are making a lasting impact on future patients, helping to push science forward.
Through these donations, researchers can study rare cancers in ways that weren’t possible before. This helps them develop more personalized treatments and gives hope to those who need it most.
RCRF’s commitment to collecting fresh tissue samples shows how dedicated we are to supporting the rare cancer community. By working together with hospitals, patients, advocacy groups and researchers, we are making real progress. Though it’s not always easy, the potential to improve lives is worth every challenge.
Image credit: Canva
