Donate your discarded tumor tissue and become a Greehey CCRI Hero

Have You Considered Donating Your Child’s Tumor to Cancer Research?

Why Donating Your Child’s Discarded Tumor Tissue Makes a Difference

Childhood cancers are rare, and the limited number of patient-relevant tissue samples available for laboratory study restricts our ability to discover new treatments. Moreover, even if the diagnosis of a tumor type is the same, there can be significant DNA differences between patients due to genetic background or environmental factors. These variations can affect treatment responses. Additionally, some tumor cell lines used in research are up to 30 years old, potentially differing from the original patient tumors.

Our Goal for Using Donated Tumor Cells

Our objective is to enhance our understanding of childhood cancer and develop better treatments by providing researchers globally with disease-relevant tumor cells. We will culture donated tumors in the laboratory, making these cells available to scientists studying pediatric cancer. By sharing these samples, we aim to generate new insights that could lead to more effective and less toxic therapies. We also plan to sequence the DNA of a subset of donated tumors to identify unique genetic changes compared to healthy tissues. This sequencing data will be shared with other researchers to accelerate the development of future treatments.

Insights Gained from Your Child’s Tumor Tissue

• Identifying genes responsible for childhood cancers.
• Matching treatments to patients based on specific mutations in tumor DNA.
• Discovering new biomarkers or genes that respond to treatments, aiding in treatment decisions.
• Developing drugs with fewer side effects.

Privacy and Risks

There are no risks associated with donating discarded tissue, as it is collected after all clinical tests are completed. We are legally required to protect your and your child’s privacy. When tumor cells are received, all patient identifiers are removed. Researchers will have access only to general information such as tumor type, age, and gender of the patient, and treatments received. For more details on your rights and consent, please refer to the guidelines provided through the links below.

Cancer.gov, Providing Your Tissue for Research: What You Need To Know

National Cancer Institute: How You Can Help Medical Research

Have We Started Collecting Tumors?

Yes, we have, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to the childhood cancer heroes who have donated their tumors! We have already collected over 50 pediatric cancer samples, including rare tumors of the bone, liver, brain, and blood. Over the past several decades, our researchers have shared these pediatric cancer models with laboratories around the world, leading to significant breakthroughs in understanding the genetic alterations that cause childhood cancers and the development of novel therapies.