Touch Imprint Cytology in Tumor Tissue Banks for the Confirmation of Neoplastic Cellularity and for DNA Extraction

Abstract Context.—Learning the characteristics of frozen tissue samples stored in tumor banks for biological studies remains a problem. Objective.—To assess the use of touch imprint cytology on fresh tissue samples as a rapid and reliable method of determining the presence and quantity of neoplastic cells before freezing. Design.—Touch imprint cytology was performed on 259 specimens of operable breast cancer. Touch imprints were prepared from fresh tissue specimens before freezing samples for storage. Each tumor sample was imprinted on a glass slide and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Tumor cellularity was quantified as negative, poor, moderate, or rich. Results.—A significant correlation was found between samples with a tumor size greater than 2 cm and high tumor cellularity (P = .03; χ2 test). Furthermore, 35% of ductal tumors showed higher tumor cellularity compared with lobular tumors (P < .001; χ2 test). No association was found between lymph node status and tumor grade. When samples for which more t...