Harmonisation of biobanking standards in endometrial cancer research

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common cancer of the female genital tract in the developed world, and is the fourth most common cancer in women after breast, lung and colorectal cancer (Ferlay et al, 2015). In the United Kingdom in 2014, at least 6 women died of and 21 women were diagnosed with EC in the United Kingdom every day, with 9022 new cases and 2166 deaths reported that year (CRUK). The incidence rate of EC is increasing rapidly and is estimated to increase by 50–100% by 2025 (Lindemann et al, 2010). This increase in incidence is alarming, particularly due to the corresponding rise in mortality (CRUK). Increased efforts into finding new prevention, diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets are therefore urgently required to reduce the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with EC. Traditionally, among others immunohistochemistry was used, based on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue, allowing only for the study of a limited number of proteins simultaneously. Further cell lines and animal studies have been applied in EC research; these however rarely give a perfect simulation of the in vivo human environment. Therefore, biobanks, collecting a wide range of different patient specimens, including for example fresh frozen tissue, urine, blood or saliva, have a vital role in providing valuable patient material for clinically relevant scientific discoveries and also aid to the rapid translation of basic scientific findings to clinical practice.