MRV Resources
MRV resources are only available due to the good will of the melanoma patients that have attended a clinic at a Melanoma Research Victoria (MRV) site and kindly consented to our project. We are very grateful to our >2500 participants who have contributed significantly to melanoma research in Victoria, nationally and internationally.
MRV resources include: Biospecimens; Clinical Data; Follow Up Data; Research Genetic Mutation Data; Research Immunology Data; Medicare Data; Prescription Benefit Scheme Data; and Quality of Life Data.
MRV resources are available to all melanoma researchers working on collaborative MRV projects which have been approved by the MRV Governance Committee. (see MRV Specimen and Data Application Form)
Fees may be incurred by projects for retrieval or histology work. Researchers are reminded to include funding for biospecimens in their project budgets.
PARTICIPANTS
Stages I – IV >2500
BIOSPECIMENS
Bloods
- Plasma
- Serum
- Blood Product (crude preparation of WBCs)
- PBMCs (very limited collection)
Tissue
- FFPE Primary melanomas
- FFPE surgical specimens
- Fresh Frozen tissue
*Project specific Biospecimens for approved MRV projects can be organised but will incur a cost to the project.
CLINICAL DATA
There are >150 fields of clinical data collected for each patient. Broadly the data is categorised under the following headings: Consent; Patient; Pathology; Surgery; Staging; Recurrence; Treatment; and Follow Up
Patients are consented on Lesion 1 – the lesion which they have been referred to a MRV site for. They may also have had previous and or subsequent lesions.
MEDICARE and PBS DATA
Since 2014 MRV participants have been asked if they will consent to MRV accessing their Medicare and Prescription Benefit Scheme information.
MRV currently has MBS and PBS data for 545 patients (date range 01/03/2014 to 31/12/2017), retrieved in March 2018.
MBS and PBS consenting is ongoing.
QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) DATA
MRV participants are asked to fill in QOL questionnaires at consent, 3 months, 6 months, 12months then yearly. Collection of QOL data began in mid-2014.
Patients at all MRV sites complete the EORTC QLQC30 (30 items measuring quality of life for cancer patients).
Peter Mac patients (~500) also complete the SCNS-SF – 2 domains only: health system and information; patient care and support.
MRV QOL data has been entered into an Access database.
MOLECULAR DATA
MRV began testing melanoma primaries for BRAF, NRAS and CKIT mutations in 2010. With the advancement of technologies on our genomics platform the amount of mutational data collected per participant has increased. This research data is also available for collaborative projects.
IMMUNO-ONCOLOGY DATA
The MRV I-O platform is utilising the latest technologies to better understand the immune system’s response to cancer within the immunotherapy setting. MRV is very interested in collaborating and sharing data in this space.
For further details regarding access MRV resources please contact the MRV Manager:
Sonia Mailer
Sonia.Mailer@petermac.org
03 8559 96678