Department of Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
Cancer. 2010 Oct 1;116(19):4632-7. doi: 10.1002/cncr.25405.
Brain tissue obtained at autopsy has been used in research for non-oncologic disorders. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this tool has never been systematically used in large investigational studies for cancer. A prospective, multicenter study was conducted to assess the feasibility of tissue collection at autopsy and its suitability for molecular analyses in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
Tumor tissue was collected at the time of diagnosis, if clinically indicated, or at autopsy. Normal brain tissue was also collected at autopsy. The integrity of DNA and RNA was evaluated in all samples. Logistic data regarding autopsies were recorded. The feasibility of tissue collection at autopsy was assessed for patients treated at a single institution over a 43-month period.
Tumor samples were collected at the time of diagnosis (n = 3) or at autopsy (n = 38) at 29 centers across the United States; samples were obtained at diagnosis and autopsy in 2 cases. The median interval from death to autopsy was 7.7 hours. DNA and RNA with minimal or partial degradation, which were suitable for genome-wide analysis, were obtained from 100% and 63% of tumor samples, respectively. At the coordinating institution, approximately 40% of parents consented to autopsy and 40% declined. During the study period, 12 autopsies were performed on patients who did not receive therapy at the coordinating center.
Multicenter, biological studies based on tissue obtained at autopsy appear to be feasible in children with brain cancer. The current experience established a new paradigm for brain tissue collection, which may increase the potential for research studies in patients with cancer.
尸检获得的脑组织已被用于非肿瘤疾病的研究。然而，据作者所知，该工具从未在癌症的大型研究中被系统地使用过。进行了一项前瞻性、多中心研究，以评估尸检时采集组织的可行性及其是否适合用于弥漫性内在脑桥胶质瘤患儿的分子分析。
如果临床需要，在诊断时或尸检时采集肿瘤组织。同时也在尸检时采集正常脑组织。评估所有样本中 DNA 和 RNA 的完整性。记录有关尸检的逻辑数据。评估在 43 个月的时间内在一家机构治疗的患者进行尸检时采集组织的可行性。
在美国 29 个中心的 3 例患者中在诊断时或尸检时采集了肿瘤样本（n = 38）；2 例患者在诊断和尸检时均获得了样本。从死亡到尸检的中位数时间间隔为 7.7 小时。从 100%的肿瘤样本中获得了具有最小或部分降解、适合全基因组分析的 DNA 和 RNA，分别从 63%的肿瘤样本中获得了具有最小或部分降解、适合全基因组分析的 DNA 和 RNA。在协调机构中，约有 40%的父母同意尸检，40%的父母不同意。在研究期间，对未在协调中心接受治疗的 12 名患者进行了尸检。
基于尸检获得的组织进行的多中心、生物学研究似乎在脑癌患儿中是可行的。目前的经验为脑组织采集建立了一个新的范例，这可能会增加癌症患者参与研究的潜力。
