Clinical and morphological aspects of low-temperature storage of malignant tumors (pilot study)

Abstract

The article discusses the possibility of long-term low-temperature postoperative storage of malignant tumors for the purpose of manufacturing an individual anticancer vaccine. Morphological analysis of 23 fragments of malignant tumors (skin melanoma, colon cancer, breast cancer, soft tissue fibrosarcoma) was carried out at different temperature regimens (–20, –196 °C) and storage periods: 2-4 months, 10–12, 22–24 and 36 months. The percentage of preserved cells in the malignant tumors was determined in ten randomly selected fields of view on histological slides according to the method of G. Avtandilov. In skin melanoma samples stored at –20 °C, histologically intact tissues were (78.5 ± 4.1)%, and after storage in liquid nitrogen — (72.0 ± 5.1)%. The histological structure of colon cancer fragments under storage conditions at –20 °C was intact at (71.8 ± 5.3)%, and when stored in liquid nitrogen, regardless of the duration of cryopreservation, total necrosis was observed in two fragments, and in two more fragments the preserved tumor parenchyma was 63.3 and 90.8%, respectively. In breast cancer fragments stored at –20 °C, morphologically intact tissues constituted (73.1 ± 5.1)%. Soft tissue fibrosarcoma fragments during long-term storage at –20 °C consisted of (82.0 ± 3.6)% morphologically unchanged structures. Based on the results of this study and relevant scientific publications, the theoretical aspects of the production of personalized anticancer DC vaccines or mRNA vaccines, the antigenic substrate for which can be samples of malignant tumors stored at low (–20 °C) and ultra-low (–196 °C) temperatures, have been  substantiated.

Probl Cryobiol Cryomed. 2026;36(1):40—49