Archipelago of Ovarian Cancer Research

Ovarian cancer is diagnosed in approximately 1400 women annually in the Netherlands. Over the last years, treatment of Dutch ovarian cancer patients has been centralized into eight Centres for Gynaecologic Oncology (CGOs). Surgery is performed in 19 hospitals and is always supervised by a gynaecological oncologist. Despite this centralization of care, new surgical techniques and new systemic therapies, the 10-year overall survival rate of women with ovarian cancer is approximately 23% and has hardly improved over the last decades.

Scientific clinical collaboration takes place within the DGOG (Dutch Gynaecological Oncology Group). Contrarily, fundamental and translational research are mostly carried out by the CGOs on institutional basis. The aim is to improve the care and survival for women with ovarian cancer by performing large-scale fundamental and translational research. This can be done after reaching structural collaboration, uniformity and overview resulting from the AOCR.

The main objective of this project is to set up a nationwide, multidisciplinary biobank named ‘Archipelago of Ovarian Cancer Research’ (AOCR), established by all 19 hospitals where surgery on ovarian cancer is performed. Harmonized biobanking and standardized pathological examining and reporting will lead to unique data sets, certainly in combination with immunohistochemical analyses and genomic data collected in view of specific studies. This platform will use pre-existing research infrastructures and collaborations in the Netherlands (IKNL/NKR, PALGA, Health-RI, SlideScore and DGOG). This will achieve an efficient start of the infrastructure and make sure scientific results will be translated to clinical practice rapidly.

Standardized methods for pathology diagnosis will be implemented in close collaboration with PALGA. Digital images of representative slides will be made available. To further optimize classification and to ensure high quality data, a standard for immunohistochemical and genomic analyses to complement standard methodology for cytological/histological diagnostics will be developed. In addition, an ovarian-specific pathologists’ panel will be set up that will digitally assess new ovarian cancer cases. It will also serve as a facility by offering revision of pathology reports, several standard immunocytochemical stainings and NGS analyses (mutations, methylation or Copy Number Aberrations) of which the resulting data can be requested by AOCR members.

After the completion of this project, a platform will be available in the Netherlands in which biomaterials are collected in a standardized way. Before researchers request issue of biomaterials and data, they can request inventory of the available biomaterials in combination with specific clinical characteristics. For clinical trials it will be possible to collect biomaterials via the developed infrastructure. Moreover, standardized methods for pathology diagnosis are implemented and all new cases of ovarian cancer are digitally assessed by the pathologists’ panel.
Overall, this platform will strongly improve the collaboration on and impact of scientific research on ovarian cancer in the Netherlands. Eventually, this platform will contribute to the improvement of diagnostics, counselling, personalised treatment, monitoring response to therapy, survival and quality of life of patients with ovarian cancer.

Setting up a nationwide, interdisciplinary platform for ovarian cancer research, including a biobank, will contribute to enhanced collaboration in fundamental and translational research
• between disciplines;
• between Dutch hospitals;
• internationally.

Simultaneously with regular appointments as much as possible

Not applicable