Breast tumor bank: an important resource for developing translational cancer research in Romania

The development of a breast tumor bank facilitates translational research. Easy access to biological specimens allows scientists to translate the outcomes of basic science into clinically useful knowledge. The breast tumor bank is particularly useful for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) that is sporadic but exhibits the worst prognosis. It serves as a national resource that includes biological samples of paraffin-embedded and frozen tumor tissue with corresponding pathological and clinical data. During the first two years, the bank has accrued data and samples from more than 254 breast cancer cases. Based on this information, we observed a higher number of samples with ER (estrogen receptor) and PR (progesterone receptor) positive and negative for Her2. Also, 30% of the total number of cases was defined as TNBC. The use of tumor banks in research and diagnosis allows for the design of different studies that can bring reliable results that may improve the lives of patients, especially those diagnosed with TNBC.