Mexico has the first tumor bank

The National Institute of Cancerology (INCan) has the first Tumor Bank of the country, whose mission is the collection and preservation of tumor tissue samples , to be used in research projects aimed at the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of the different types of cancer suffered by the Mexican population .

Luz María Ruiz Godoy Rivera , coordinator of the Preservation Area of ​​the Tumor Bank of the National Institute of Cancerology (INCan), explained that one year after its formal creation, the Bank has captured one thousand 800 samples of the tumors malignant more frequent in cases of cancer of the breast, cervix, kidney, colon, testicle, liver, ovary and prostate, among others.

The samples can be used in different types of protocols which include the investigation of new cancer markers, cases of diagnosis or forecast, and study of monoclonal antibodies to approve or evaluate new drugs against the disease.

Due to the increase inovarian cancer Among the female population of the country, the Tumor Bank will initiate 2 research protocols oriented to this condition. To fulfill the objective, 90 samples are available that will be used in these scientific works.

Both protocols will be developed by two groups of researchers from INCan, but any institute or hospital can present their research projects and if approved by the internal committees, both scientific and bioethical, they will be able to count on the sample of the required tissues.

He specified that for the installation of the bank, the institute invested nearly 4 million pesos in cutting-edge infrastructure for its operation and has a storage capacity of 15 thousand samples.

The tissue samples that are found in the Bank are donated by the patients who receive attention in the institute. The donors are informed in a simple and clear way about the procedure to be followed, as well as the purposes scientific for which the obtained fabrics will be used. The process is done through a letter of consent.

In the future, the expansion of the Bank is planned in a new area of the institute, which will allow obtaining a range of samples such as: urine, saliva, blood, as well as extraction of DNA and RNA, which will allow having more elements for the development of investigation in the countryside oncological .

Source: General Directorate of Social Communication. Ministry of Health, (HEALTH).