Collection of Specimens and Clinical Data from Subjects with Proven or Suspected Thoracic, Breast, Gastrointestinal and Genitourinary Cancers

Physician:

Claudius Conrad

Study Information:

Subjects will be asked to donate biospecimens (tissue, fluid and blood) and allow data collection from your medical records, to a biobank for future research.

Biobanking is storing leftover human tissue that has been removed during a medical procedure such as an operation, a biopsy, or a blood test. This extra tissue is not needed for the participants' diagnosis or treatment. This tissue is sent to a tissue bank, where it is carefully preserved and protected. Scientists use tissues from these banks to study disease and find better ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat cancer in the future. Tissue donated for medical research is not used in either organ transplantation or blood transfusions.

Subjects will be asked to donate:

Leftover tumor tissue, from a biopsy or surgery that is being done for their regular care
Left over fluid (1cc-10cc of ascites, pleural or pericardial effusions) if participants have a paracentesis, thoracocentesis or pericardiocentesis during their regular care.

Leftover tissue or fluid will be collected from what would otherwise be discarded by Pathology.

Subjects will be asked to give 2 blood samples, 8cc each (16cc total, about 3 teaspoons). The study team will try to collect these blood samples at the time of a clinically indicated blood draw or from an existing intravenous (IV) access, such as before and after the participants' regularly scheduled surgery.

The study team will collect data from participants' medical record and enter it into a secure database. The medical records will be reviewed annually until the participant completes their treatment course, or up to 10 years.

The data collected from the medical record will include the following:

Demographic information, such as age, gender and race
Medical history
Physical exams
Pathology results
Laboratory test results
Imaging (CT or MRI scans)
Operative reports

Purpose of Trial:

To develop a biobank of tissue samples from patients with proven or suspected thoracic, breast, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers, seen by Department of Surgery/Surgical Oncology at St Elizabeth’s Medical Center. The biobank will be used for future research projects, to learn more about cancer in our thoracic, breast, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers population (i.e. mortality, complications, quality of life, chemotherapy/surgery efficacy etc.). Biobanking and the research that follows has capacity to facilitate more personalized treatments for patients in the future, with greater likelihood of benefit and fewer adverse effects. Tissue banking helps cancer researchers’ study and understand the tumor biology that drives cancer. It helps to answer important questions about how cancer develops, how it grows, identifying the risk factors, who may be at risk of developing cancer, and how cancer behaves in different ethnic groups. Biobanking provides information that is very important in the development of new and personalized cancer therapies that can improve cancer patient outcomes.

Status:

Recruiting

Eligibility:

Inclusion Criteria

Age >/= 18-100 years
Patients with proven or suspected thoracic, breast, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center

Exclusion Criteria

Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers), under 18 years of age

Participant Ages:

18-100

Sponsor:

Accepting Healthy Volunteers:

Contact Information:

Eduardo Vega

Tel: 617-789-2442

Email: [email protected]

Clinical Trial Department:

Surgery

Study ID:

00817

Trial Conditions: