Introduction to the Tumour Bank

The long-term goal of research into childhood malignancies is to reduce the incidence of cancer and to improve the outlook of children suffering with this disease. It is through research that we will gain the knowledge about cancer that will eventually lead to new approaches in therapy. However, such research is dependent upon the availability of cancer specimens for the scientists to study.

The Tumour Bank of The Children's Hospital at Westmead (Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia) has been established with the specific intention of encouraging and facilitating research into cancer. The Tumour Bank was initiated by the Oncology Department, is funded by the Department of Health and the Leukaemia Research and Support Fund, and has been approved by the Hospital Ethics Committee.

The Tumour Bank contains collections of...

1. tumour samples and, where possible, matched control blood or tissue samples;
2. blood samples from children with malignancies; and
3. serial collections of blood, bone marrow and CSF from children with leukaemia.

Additional information on clinical background and pathology for each case is available on request.

Samples in the Tumour Bank are available to any researcher who can demonstrate a proposal with scientific or clinical merit, local Ethics Committee approval, and a source of funding.