Although significant improvement in the treatment of childhood brain tumors has resulted from use of the empiric clinical trial mechanism, it is clear that further progress will require a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of pediatric malignancies as well as the specific alterations which underlie resistance to current therapies. This study is designed to maximize the acquisition of pediatric brain tumor biological specimens to enable this new understanding.
The Children's Oncology Group (COG) Bank at the COG Biopathology Center (BPC) along with other approved COG sites will serve as repositories for banking brain tumor and other biological specimens from pediatric patients. The BPC and/or other repositories will make tissue available to COG investigators and to other investigators who apply through the COG. All proposals for research using banked brain tumor tissue will be reviewed and prioritized by the Brain Tumor Disease Committee. If a proposal requires other tumor tissue in addition to brain tumor tissue, the appropriate disease committee must give additional approval with concurrence from the Biopathology and Translational Research Committee.
All patients treated for a brain tumor at a COG institution are eligible for participation in this study. Patients are eligible at the time of diagnosis of their primary neoplasm, at the time of second look surgery, at recurrence, or at the development of a second malignant neoplasm. Brain tumor specimens, derived from primary tumors of the central nervous system, must be available for submission. In addition, a 5ml sample of whole blood will be submitted as a normal control with each tissue submission.
Solid tissue (100-200mg) will be submitted in as many of the following formats as possible, but in order of priority:1)Snap Frozen Tissue or OCT embedded, 2)Formalin Fixed Tissue, 3)Fresh Tissue, 4)Path Rprt.
Samples will be mailed to:
COG-BPC
Children's Hospital
700 Children's Dr, Room WA1340
Columbus,OH 43205 |