Optimal protein analysis requires unfixed tissue samples. We suggest handling the brain tumor tissue sterilely and coldly (on ice) for as short time as possible prior to processing, but for no more than 8 h. This simple protocol results in apparently intact morphology, immunoreactivity, protein integrity, and protein phosphorylation with the criteria we apply. Sample handling for Pathological Anatomical Diagnosis (PAD) and for protein analysis can be one and the same.