General Description

NETRF will collaborate with leading cancer research centers to launch the Neuroendocrine Tumor Bioconsortium. This Bioconsortium will link the biobanks at five centers, which specialize in NETs ( Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Stanford University Cancer Center, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center). A biobank is a collection of stored tissue specimens linked to a database of anonymous patient information. Because of this collaboration, researchers will be able to identify connections between the molecular characteristics of tissue samples and the patient data associated with individual disease progression and to test and validate hypotheses that arise from these correlations. This exciting collaboration will enable scientists to characterize specific disease pathways, uncover genetic and environmental indicators of disease, identify novel drug targets, and tailor treatment programs to the needs of patients.

Publications

Du Y, Ter-Minassian M, Brais L, Brooks N, Waldron A, Chan JA, Lin X, Kraft P, Christiani DC, Kulke MH. Genetic associations with neuroendocrine tumor risk: results from a genome-wide association study. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2016 Aug;23(8):587-94. doi: 10.1530/ERC-16-0171.

Ter-Minassian M1, Chan JA, Hooshmand SM, Brais LK, Daskalova A, Heafield R, Buchanan L, Qian ZR, Fuchs CS, Lin X, Christiani DC, Kulke MH. Clinical presentation, recurrence, and survival in patients with neuroendocrine tumors: results from a prospective institutional database. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2013 Mar 22;20(2):187-96. doi: 10.1530/ERC-12-0340. Print 2013 Apr.