70% ethanol as an alternative to formalin in tissue fixation

A study aimed to use a systematic approach to evaluate the biomolecular status of a number of clinical tissue specimens processed through a non-formalin fixation method. 50 radical prostatectomies (tissue from prostate) were fixed in 70% ethanol and studied at the National Cancer Institute. The conclusion was that specimens fixed in 70% ethanol and embedded in paraffin produce good histology and permit recovery of DNA, mRNA, and proteins sufficient for several downstream molecular analyses.