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We will establish the UK's first ovarian tumour bank through the national collection of biopsies and blood samples. Currently biopsies are only routinely taken at initial diagnosis which limits crucial access to understanding how the disease develops and how it responds to treatment .
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Situation
There are some 30 types of ovarian cancer each with different molecular characteristics but there is a need to further characterise the subtypes, to understand how the disease develops, how it responds to treatments, identify targets for new treatments, and to develop therapies tailored to each woman's tumour. Scientists thus need access to a comprehensive collection of tumour samples and related clinical information to study the genetic changes that occur during the development of the disease.
Solution
Nine cancer research centres across the UK will collect biopsy samples during and after treatment to monitor progression of individual cancers.Comparing patterns of cancer progression, treatment and survival rates for different forms of the disease will help researchers to identify which treatments are likely to work best for each patient, depending on her personal and genetic profile and form of the disease.This will also aid understanding of why tumours become resistant to chemotherapy.