Extending our understanding of the molecular events in cancer growth and progression requires detailed correlations of molecular characteristics with biologic tumor behavior and host response These data are essential to the design of new, more effective therapies, better application of conventional treatments and prevention strategies for tumor relapse. An essential prerequisite is availability of complete clinical, demographic, and treatment data that are integrated with molecular data from well-characterized human tumor and serum samples as well as our unique panel of head and neck cancer cell lines that serve as in vitro and in vivo model systems for investigation of novel agents or mechanisms. To support the research efforts of investigators in this UM-HN SPORE program, the NCI and other SPORE programs, a comprehensive tissue procurement, processing, storage, head and neck cancer cell line bank, distribution process and data management system is proposed. This core represents collaborative efforts of basic scientists, anatomic pathologists, clinicians and data managers. It builds our prior experience in collecting, storing and distributing tissues among our Head and Neck Oncology Program Investigators and the experience of our UM Cancer Center Tissue and Tumor procurement Core, as well as cooperation with the UM Prostate SPORE. Detailed distribution rules and standardized processing for whole blood, serum, fresh tissue with proper imbedding and frozen storage, tissue in RNA Later, paraffin embedded tissue, immunohistology, tissue microarray, and cell culture preparation are included. A detailed descriptive relational database including tumor characteristics, patient demographics, health behaviors, co-morbidities, family history, treatment and follow-up data is linked with the tumor repository data and each investigator's laboratory by a secure Head and Neck web-based database called BioDBx that is interfaced with the clinical UM Health System data repository (Care Web). Flexibility is provided to meet specific needs of any project and incorporation of new technologies for future projects or collaborations with outside investigators. We have proposed a model system that will be a resource that maximizes superb tissue-clinical data availability for studying these relatively uncommon head and neck cancers by the entire NCI SPORE community.
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