ArticleVirchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology2017
DNA degrades during storage in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue blocks.
Article in Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 119 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Towards implementation of precision medicine biomarkers in early detection and prognostication of prostate cancer.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2026Review
- A 1-year forensic evaluation of DNA degradation and STR typing in embalmed human tissues: Muscle, brain, liver, and bone marrow.Journal of forensic sciences · 2026Article
- Nanopore Sequencing for HPV in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Benign Tonsil Specimens.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Pre-Analytical and Analytical Challenges in Whole-Exome Sequencing of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Breast and Prostate Cancer Tissue: A Real-World Multicenter Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Diagnostic accuracy of chip hybridization from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded bioptic specimens in a cohort with predominantly extrapulmonary mycobacterial disease.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Molecular detection ofFrontiers in veterinary science · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- Clinical utility of targeted RNA sequencing in cancer molecular diagnostics.Nature medicine · 2025Article
- Generative and integrative modeling for transcriptomics with formalin fixed paraffin embedded material.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Article
- Real-world application of targeted next-generation sequencing for identifying molecular variants in Asian non-small-cell lung cancer.BMC cancer · 2025Article
- Article
- RETRACTED: Genotyping strategies for tissues fixed with various embalming fluids for human identification, databasing, and traceability.Journal of forensic sciences · 2025Article
- InDEL instability in two different tumoral tissues and its forensic significance.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2024Article
- Be bold, start cold! cold formalin fixation of colorectal cancer specimens granted superior DNA and RNA quality for downstream molecular analysis.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2024Article
- Descriptive and molecular epidemiology of leishmaniasis diagnosed from clinical samples in the United States, 2021-2022.Microbiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Real-time qPCR coupled with high-resolution melting curve analysis for the detection of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of Angiostrongylus costaricensis.Parasitology research · 2024Article
- Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks are widely used to identify clinically actionable molecular alterations or perform retrospective molecular studies. Our goal was to quantify degradation of DNA occurring during mid to long-term storage of samples in usual conditions. We selected 46 FFPE samples of surgically resected carcinomas of lung, colon, and urothelial tract, of which DNA had been previously extracted. We performed a second DNA extraction on the same blocks under identical conditions after a median period of storage of 5.5 years. Quantitation of DNA by fluorimetry showed a 53% decrease in DNA quantity after storage. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) targeting KRAS exon 2 showed delayed amplification of DNA extracted after storage in all samples but one. The qPCR/fluorimetry quantification ratio decreased from 56 to 15% after storage (p < 0.001). Overall, remaining proportion of DNA analyzable by qPCR represented only 11% of the amount obtained at first extraction. Maximal length of amplifiable DNA fragments assessed with a multiplex PCR was reduced in DNA extracted from stored tissue, indicating that DNA fragmentation had increased in the paraffin blocks during storage. Next-generation sequencing was performed on 12 samples and showed a mean 3.3-fold decrease in library yield and a mean 4.5-fold increase in the number of single-nucleotide variants detected after storage. In conclusion, we observed significant degradation of DNA extracted from the same FFPE block after 4 to 6 years of storage. Better preservation strategies should be considered for storage of FFPE biopsy specimens.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.