Question asked. The family wanted to keep part of the tumour removed at the operation planned for the following day alive (liquid nitrogen), in addition to the usual formalin fixation, for possible future trials. A Ukrainian laboratory had said it could freeze tissue in nitrogen but could not store or transport it.
Key points
- The company stores living tumour tissue only in its own tumour bank in Tel Aviv; the stated purpose is to prepare a personalised anti-cancer vaccine from fresh tissue (preparation takes 3–4 months).
- Surgeon's part, as stated: the tissue goes at once into sterile tubes with a small amount of saline and is kept frozen on dry ice (−70 to −80 °C) or in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C); viability is checked on arrival at the bank.
- Import into Israel needs a Ministry of Health permit, about 1–2 months. Transport from Ukraine would need a courier; the company has no logistics partner in Ukraine at present and collection from Ukraine was described as the hardest step. Interim storage at a partner (Germany/Turkey) was not offered; Germany to be checked by the consultant.
- Paraffin blocks can be sent for their other options; the family stated that a biopsy in paraffin had already been shipped to Israel by courier without problems.
- Outcome (family statement): the living-tissue option will not be pursued now because the logistics cannot be arranged in time; formalin fixation only.
Quoted prices (company statements, estimates)
- Storage of living tumour tissue in the Tel Aviv bank: $3,600 for up to 3 years. A shorter 2-month storage price was not given (to be checked by the consultant).
- Import paperwork (Israeli Ministry of Health permit): $600–$700; an exact figure to be obtained.
- Transport to Tel Aviv through the company's logistics partners: $2,500–$4,500; not charged if the family delivers the tissue to the Tel Aviv laboratory itself.
- Payment: an invoice (storage plus a paperwork line) is issued before the preservation protocol, so some payment is needed in advance.
- Personalised anti-cancer vaccine: about $45,000 up to $90,000, sometimes $100,000 (quoted for Kazakhstan).
- Oncolytic-virus therapy in Germany: about €54,000 (the virus therapy only; immunotherapy drugs extra).
What the consultant said about treatment
- The vaccines are a paid treatment, not a clinical trial; eligibility is confirmed individually from the medical records. For this patient's GIST (KIT mutations in three exons, family statement) the consultant said they have had such patients and that the records must be reviewed.
- Oncolytic-virus therapy is offered in a clinic in Germany; it does not need living tissue (a paraffin block could be used), can start relatively quickly from the medical reports, and is followed by immunotherapy drugs that can be obtained locally.
- The bank does not exchange tumour tissue for research against treatment costs; it keeps tissue per patient for that patient's own vaccine.
INTERPRETATION These are statements of a company about its own service. This site has no independent evidence of benefit of such vaccines or oncolytic-virus therapy in GIST; nothing here is a recommendation. Trial and tissue questions remain open in the pending list.