BioRepository

Alberta Prostate Cancer Registry & Biorepository

Biorepository

In many instances prostate cancer remains a mystery for researchers. At present, diagnostic tests lack accuracy and there is not a real prognostication tool to differentiate aggressive cancers vs indolent (less aggressive) ones. Thinking is changing in terms of treatment and today more than ever, the clinical and academic research communities need resources to measure outcomes associated with different treatment modalities through comprehensive registries and high quality biospecimens to test new biomarkers that can help better diagnose prostate cancer and predict disease outcomes by establishing biorepositories.

The Alberta Prostate Cancer BioRepository allows APCaRI team members application of state-of-the-art genomic, proteomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses to the development of new and better tests for prostate cancer. Clinical validation of these tests requires large numbers of high quality patient biosamples linked to accurate and complete clinical outcome data.

We offer:

The Alberta Prostate Cancer Biorepository provides biofluid solutions for research. Academic and industry-based researchers worldwide can benefit from biofluids of high quality, diversity and integrity. Five academic teaching hospitals across Alberta currently collect samples and data from participating donors.

Access procedures for researchers are streamlined while ensuring high ethical standards and protection of donor privacy and confidentiality.

APCaRI Biorepository gets certified by CTRNet

Samples Available from participants with prostate cancer and age-matched men with negative biopsy
  • Serum (400uL/vial)
  • Plasma (400uL/vial)
  • Buffy Coat (~300uL/vial)
  • Red Blood Cells (400uL/vial)
  • Urine (400uL/vial)
  • Semen (~400uL/vial)

    Clinical Information

    Clinical registries improve care by arming doctors and teams treating prostate cancer with information about how their outcomes compare with international standards and other locales. The Alberta Prostate Cancer Registry allows us to monitor the patterns of care and outcomes of men diagnosed with prostate cancer throughout Alberta, and provide a valuable tool to track how our translational research efforts are impacting outcomes over time. The registry is linked to a biorepository containing patient specimens that will drive translational research and enable personalized approaches to prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.

    • Demographic information and co-morbidities
    • Family history of prostate cancer
    • Pathology and diagnosis details
    • Clinical and pathological staging
    • Treatment history
    • Outcomes
    • Biospecimen collection, sample availability and processing details

    The APCaRI Prostate Cancer Registry and Biorepository is a province-wide comprehensive resource that incorporates all prostate cancer patients in Alberta. Biobanking samples from Alberta prostate cancer patients collected through the journey of diagnosis and treatment will translate into enormous benefits because it will lead to tests that are directly applicable to Albertans.

    By the end of 2019 Albertans and the health research community worldwide will have a comprehensive registry and biorepository containing personal, demographic, health and prostate cancer specific information along with biospecimens including blood (serum, plasma, buffy coat, and red blood cells), urine, semen and tissue from close to 9000 patients collected pre-diagnosis and at other multiple time points across the disease continuum.

    In association with the Alberta Cancer Research Biorepository, our biorepository is utilizing cutting edge biobanking technology and supplies to guarantee that we have excellent quality samples managed with the highest standards and that we will have enough samples and data to support research for many years to come.

    You can help us make an impact by donating biospecimens or by supporting our research.

     

     

     

APCaRI is part of the Movember Prostate Cancer Outcomes network

The Prostate Cancer Outcomes Global Initiative to Compare and Reduce Variation is a project led by Movember aiming to improve health outcomes for men throughout their prostate cancer journey by focusing on variation in care and engaging clinicians and researchers across 14 countries worldwide.

The international team will collect data from prostate cancer patients segmented into the categories of data items as outlined by the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM). These include patient factors, baseline tumor factors, pathological information, treatment variables, acute complications of treatment, and survival and disease control).

The Alberta Prostate Cancer dataset is highly aligned with the ICHOM standards. This means that we can effectively compare treatments and outcomes in Alberta with teams around the world to find ways to improve our care at home and abroad!

This is the result of hours of planning and true team work lead by Dr. Trafford Crump, the APCaRI Scientific and Data Quality Committee, and the APCaRI clinical, scientific, research and pathology teams. Thanks to your efforts, we are one step closer to improving patient outcomes.

- John Lewis