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. 2024 Aug 1;2024(65):180-190.
doi: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgae034.

NCI SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository Pilot

Pamela Sanchez  1 , Alison L Van Dyke  1 , Valentina I Petkov  1 , Yao Yuan  1 , Sarah Bonds  1 , Connor Valenzuela  1 , Alyssa W Tuan  1 , Radim Moravec  1 , Sean F Altekruse  1 , Aatur D Singhi  2 , Kate M Serdy  3 , Yun Wu  4 , Rosemary D Cress  5 , Jennifer A Doherty  6   7 , Lloyd Mueller  8 , Brenda Y Hernandez  9 , Charles F Lynch  10 , Thomas C Tucker  11 , Xiao-Cheng Wu  12 , Lynn Matrisian  13 , Lynne Penberthy  1
Affiliations

NCI SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository Pilot

Pamela Sanchez et al. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. .

Abstract

Background: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program with the National Cancer Institute tested whether population-based cancer registries can serve as honest brokers to acquire tissue and data in the SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository (VTR) Pilot.

Methods: We collected formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and clinical data from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and breast cancer (BC) for two studies comparing cancer cases with highly unusual survival (≥5 years for PDAC and ≤30 months for BC) to pair-matched controls with usual survival (≤2 years for PDAC and ≥5 years for BC). Success was defined as the ability for registries to acquire tissue and data on cancer cases with highly unusual outcomes.

Results: Of 98 PDAC and 103 BC matched cases eligible for tissue collection, sources of attrition for tissue collection were tissue being unavailable, control paired with failed case, second control that was not requested, tumor necrosis ≥20%, and low tumor cellularity. In total, tissue meeting the study criteria was obtained for 70 (71%) PDAC and 74 (72%) BC matched cases. For patients with tissue received, clinical data completeness ranged from 59% for CA-19-9 after treatment to >95% for margin status, whether radiation therapy and chemotherapy were administered, and comorbidities.

Conclusions: The VTR Pilot demonstrated the feasibility of using SEER cancer registries as honest brokers to provide tissue and clinical data for secondary use in research. Studies using this program should oversample by 45% to 50% to obtain sufficient sample size and targeted population representation and involve subspecialty matter expert pathologists for tissue selection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
SEER-Linked Virtual Tissue Repository (VTR) concept. As the future VTR Program is conceptualized, investigators may apply for access to a searchable, web-based interface with diagnoses, clinicopathologic information, demographic parameters, and treatment information. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registries will function as honest brokers to obtain diagnostic, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and clinical data and, in turn, provide deidentified, but linked, data and tissue for selected cancer cases ascertained through participating SEER registries. These VTRs will function in parallel with SEER-Linked Residual Tissue Repositories (RTRs) that collect archival, diagnostic FFPE tissue blocks and microscopic slides being discarded by laboratories, associated pathology reports, and SEER abstracts.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
PDAC genomic study design.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
BC genomic study design.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
CONSORT flow chart of sources of attrition in tissue acquisition for the Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Genomic Study.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
CONSORT flow chart of sources of attrition in tissue acquisition for the Breast Cancer Genomic Study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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