What we do – St James’s Hospital Cancer Biobank
Patients with a known diagnosis or possible diagnosis of cancer give consent to a cancer specialist nurse or doctor to take tissue samples for research that will be scientifically and ethically approved. If the donation is being requested for a known ongoing project the details are explained (see Consent form, Patients section). As soon as the surgeon completes the operation, the operation specimen – breast lump/mastectomy or colon – is taken rapidly to the histopathology department. The pathologist examines it and samples some tissue – cancer and normal – for the biobank scientist to prepare for the biobank. Data on the sample and pathology – when completed – are entered in CAISIS, an open source database used by other international biobank networks.
Biobanking even one patient’s tissue requires extensive communication and precise timing. To incorporate biobanking within the hospital care pathway involves the willing and consistent co-operation of many members of the hospital staff (IMAGE cancer specialist nurses, theatre nurses, surgeons, pathologists, medical scientists, researchers, porters, IT personnel) and senior management. Hospital biobanks have much in common, but each one differs somewhat in work practices and logistics. We standardise the process of tissue sampling, preparation and storage across the hospitals because sample quality is so important for high quality research and reliable research results that may be developed into new medicines for those with cancer.
Breast cancer can occur in women as young as 22, and biobanking for molecular research may help us understand the devastatingly aggressive breast cancer in this age group. Pathology data and sample data, when linked to coded patient data, are essential for correlating research findings with outcome and response to treatment.