The Australian Breast Cancer Tissue Bank (ABCTB) is an open access, not-for-profit biobank established in 2005 with funding from National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Cancer Institute NSW. It holds a large collection of biospecimens and associated data that are accessible to researchers worldwide to support their research into breast cancer. The ABCTB is located at the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney.
The ABCTB holds samples of cancerous and normal breast tissue and blood collected during routine pathology from women with breast cancer. The bank also contains information about the health and breast cancer treatment of donors. More than 10,000 samples have so far been provided to researchers nationally and internationally, resulting in numerous publications and clinical advances that have improved outcomes for women with breast cancer.
Accessing samples and information
Researchers are encouraged to apply to access the samples and information in the biobank for breast cancer research projects. The ABCTB considers the scientific merit of research projects before it provides access to samples and data, and projects must have ethics approval before access can be approved. The identities of the patient donors are never disclosed to researchers, and samples and data provided to researchers are labelled only with study numbers. Further details regarding access can be found within the ABCTB Access Policy.
The following clinical data are available on ABCTB samples:
Clinical History
Breast Cancer Date, Status of Benign breast disease & Date, Type of prior cancer, Age at diagnosis, Year of diagnosis, Treatment for the cancer, Procedure type, Date of procedure, Assessment result, Delivery History (Age at first full term delivery, Gravida, Para, Breast feeding, No. of children breast fed), Hormonal Factors (Age at menarchy, Age at menopause, Menopause status, OCP/Hormonal implants, Age taken, No. of years used, History of HRT, No. of years HRT), Hysterectomy, Oophorectomy and family history.
Lifestyle Factors
Tobacco and Alcohol Use, Height, Weight, BSA, BMI.
Breast Pathology
Primary histologic diagnosis, Size of lesion, Primary site (ICD10AM), Laterality of primary, Histopathological grade, Degree of Spread, Stage, Node Biopsy, ER, PR, Her-2 and other markers.
Treatment Information
Treatment dates, agent & dose.
Follow up Information
Date of follow-up and disease status.
(Disclaimer: All clinical data points may not be available for all patients.
ABCTB recovers a proportion of the costs involved in providing samples to researchers. Please contact us for details of the cost recovery schedule.
Please click here to apply for access to ABCTB samples and/or data.
Governance
ABCTB governance is via a Management & Access Committee, comprised of individuals with expertise in biobanking drawn from academic and clinical institutions around the country.
Contact Us
ABCTB operates via the Westmead Biobank
http://www.westmead.org.au/core-facilities/our-facilities/biobanking/
Email: westmead.biobank@wimr.org.au