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The BC Generations Project as a Tumor Tissue Resource for Cancer Research
Umaimah Zanif1, Jessica Chu1, Jonathan Simkin1,2
1Cancer Control Research, BC Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L3, Canada.
Current Oncology (Toronto, Ont.)
|February 24, 2022
Summary
Researchers successfully accessed tumor samples from the BC Generations Project (BCGP) for cancer research. This process enhances the BCGP
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Biomedical Research
- Pathology
Background:
- Population-based cohort studies provide valuable tumor specimens linked to demographic and health data.
- The BC Generations Project (BCGP) is a key resource for cancer research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate a method for retrieving tumor samples from pathology labs for BCGP participants.
- To assess the feasibility of using pathology reports for sample identification.
Main Methods:
- Identified 1100 incident solid cancer cases in BCGP via the BC Cancer Registry.
- Manually abstracted data from pathology reports to request formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks.
- Retrieved 183 of 200 requested FFPE blocks (breast, lung, bladder, pancreas cancers).
Main Results:
- Successfully retrieved 92% of requested FFPE tumor blocks.
- No significant differences in retrieval rates were observed based on cancer site, location, sample type, or diagnosis year.
- A new text mining solution will automate data abstraction for future cases.
Conclusions:
- The developed process is effective for accessing tumor samples for cancer research.
- Automating data abstraction will improve the efficiency and completeness of the BCGP tumor tissue resource.
- The BCGP is strengthened as a high-quality research resource for innovative cancer studies.
