Development of an integrated biospecimen bank and multidisciplinary clinical database for pancreatic cancer.
BACKGROUND
The integration of biospecimens with reliable clinical data is critical to advance molecular findings from the laboratory to the clinic. We describe the development of an integrated pancreatic tissue bank (PTB) and clinical database for patients with pancreatic cancer and other pancreatic disorders.


METHODS
A clinical database and PTB were created in 1990 and 2000, respectively, to collect clinical information and biospecimens from patients with suspected or confirmed pancreatic cancer, other pancreatic diseases, and tumors of the duodenum, ampulla of Vater, and distal bile duct. Standard procedures for biospecimen collection and data entry were developed.


RESULTS
From 2000 through 2006, the PTB collected 8,061 pancreatic tissue specimens from 620 patients. The most common histologies of pancreatic tumors were pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (55.3%) and neuroendocrine carcinoma (16.3%). The biospecimen collection also includes 431 plasma samples, 40 fine-needle aspiration samples, and a tissue microarray containing 85 pancreatic adenocarcinomas and matched normal tissue specimens. The clinical database contains information for 7,647 patients with pancreatic cancer, other pancreatic disorders, and duodenal, ampullary, or bile duct neoplasms. The data are arranged into nine modules: patient, presentation, risk factors, diagnostic imaging, treatment plan, surgery, pathology, postoperative complications, and follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
We have established a pancreatic cancer tissue bank with standardized procedures for collection of biospecimens along with a comprehensive multidisciplinary clinical database. The integrated biospecimen bank and clinical database for pancreatic cancer described here can serve as a model from which other groups may develop similar systems.
Hwang
Rosa F
RF
Department of Surgical Oncology, Unit 444, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA. rhwang@mdanderson.org
Wang
Huamin
H
Lara
Axbal
A
Gomez
Henry
H
Chang
Tracy
T
Sieffert
Nicole
N
Moon
Younghee
Y
Ram
Sabina
S
Zimmerman
Stuart
S
Lee
Jeffrey H
JH
Pisters
Peter W T
PW
Tamm
Eric P
EP
Fleming
Jason B
JB
Abbruzzese
James L
JL
Evans
Douglas B
DB
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014670:Ampulla of Vater / Q000473:pathology; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003138:Common Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004379:Duodenal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D004701:Endocrine Gland Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013048:Specimen Handling; D014015:Tissue Banks / Q000458:organization & administration*