Trial Information

Eligibility Screening and Tissue Procurement for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Research (CCR) Clinical Protocols

Background:

- Patients who are being evaluated for Center for Cancer Research protocols must be
screened to determine whether they meet the eligibility criteria prior to enrollment.

- Performing invasive procedures for the sole purpose of obtaining tissue specimens or
biological fluids for research purposes is often not ethically justifiable in human
subjects, yet these specimens are needed to advance our knowledge on a variety of
cancers. Therefore, it is critical to obtain tissue and biological fluid samples for
future research when procedures (e.g., surgical excision, diagnostic biopsy) are
performed for clinical indications in this population.

Objectives:

- Evaluate patient eligibility for participation in NCI/CCR research protocols.

- Collect results of screening test for use on subsequent research protocols as baseline
( e.g., pretreatment) values.

- Collect specific research samples required for the primary research protocol as part of
a screening test or procedure in order to avoid from having to subject the patient to a
painful procedure on multiple occasions.

- Procure residual tissues or fluids that are remaining from tests or procedures that are
performed for clinical indications (e.g., diagnosis or treatment of the cancer) during
the screening process or during treatment and follow-up on a primary NCI/CCR research
protocol. These specimens will be stored for future research studies.

Eligibility:

- Patients who are being evaluated for and treated on protocols within the CCR.

Design:

- This protocol is not a research study

- Screening tests and procedures that are required by the primary research protocols are
conducted in order to establish eligibility for these protocols.

- In some cases specific research samples required for the primary research protocol may
be collected during the screening process in order to avoid from having to subject the
patient to a painful procedure on multiple occasions.

- Tissues and biological fluids that are obtained during or after the screening process
or at any time during treatment and follow-up on a primary CCR research protocol will
be stored. Residual biological fluids will be obtained during tests or procedures that
are considered clinically indicated for the diagnosis or treatment of the patient's
cancer or related disease.

- Once a patient completes the screening process and is entered onto another study they
may remain on this study to allow for screening for other trials in the future or for
the tissue procurement portion of this trial.