Statistik
Total number of samples per year and country
The number of samples taken each year since 1992, when childhood leukaemia biobanking began. In the Nordic region, around 300 children a year contract various types of leukaemia. The increase in sampling in 2020 and 2021 relates to follow-up samples.
Distribution of samples by country
The bar chart shows the distribution of samples by country (1992 to December 2021).
Total number of unique patients registered in the NOPHO Leukemia Biobank
Some of these patients do not have a study number. One reason for this difficulty is a cross-check with the CCEG (Childhood Cancer Epidemiology Group) and the lack of a reported NOPHO or Castor number.
Total number of samples in the NOPHO Leukemia Biobank
Total number of samples in the NOPHO Leukemia Biobank 1992–2021. Transferred samples (1,865) from research sample collection (FMCA = fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay) in 1992–2006. 5,168 samples since the NLBB was established in 2006.
Sample types
Each sample type is aliquoted according to the amount of product extracted so that there is enough material for more analyses.
Mononuclear cells from bone marrow aspirates and peripheral blood have been cell-separated with Ficoll-Paque™.
The cells have been frozen as both dry pellets and vital cells. The same sample is often frozen both dry and in a freezing medium.
The number of malignant cells is currently measured using flow cytometry.
Serum and plasma are only aliquoted.
Extracted DNA and RNA are aliquoted to suit different analyses.
Bone marrow
The cells have been frozen as both dry pellets and vital cells.
Peripheral blood
The number of tubes varies from one to more than ten for both bone marrow cells and blood cells.
There are about 2,000 samples of DNA and RNA extracted from bone marrow or peripheral blood
The number of frozen tubes can be 1–6 aliquots, depending on the exchange. Extractions are currently performed at Uppsala BioLab, and the method used is Qiagen Allprep.
Serum
More than 1,300 patients have provided serum stored in 1–4 aliquots (subsamples, duplicates). We have about 4,600 serum tubes in the freezer.
Cerebrospinal fluid
Approximately 100 patients have provided cerebrospinal fluid, generating 1–2 aliquots. Cerebrospinal fluid is a new sample type in the biobank, and has been stored since the introduction of the ALLTogether treatment protocol.
Sample release requests
As well as being approved by an ethics review board, all NOPHO research studies must also be accepted by the NOPHO Scientific Board.
Almost thirty samples have been taken for work with cells or extracted DNA and RNA from leukaemia cells.
A serum sample has been used in a research study.
Work that has led to many publications and can be found under ‘For researchers/Research work and publications’
Number of unique patients per country in NLBB 1992–2021 (filtered by hospital)
Total | 1129 |
Aalborg University hospital | 81 |
Aarhus University hospital | 319 |
Copenhagen University hospital | 530 |
Odense University hospital | 179 |
Hospital not known | 20 |
Total | 778 |
Helsinki University hospital | 311 |
Kuopio University hospital | 110 |
Oulu University hospital | 175 |
Tampere University hospital | 72 |
Turku University hospital | 90 |
Hospital not known | 20 |
Total | 57 |
Reykjavik childrens hospital | 57 |
Norge | 1099 |
Bergen University hospital | 159 |
Oslo University hospital | 640 |
Tromsö University hospital | 87 |
Trondheim University hospital | 166 |
Ullevål University hospital | 32 |
Hospital not known | 15 |
Total | 2823 |
Astrid Lindgrens Childrens hospital, Solna | 814 |
Drottning Silvias Childrens hospital, Göteborg | 691 |
Linköpings university hospital | 200 |
Norrlands university hospital, Umeå | 216 |
Skånes university hospital, Lund | 328 |
Uppsala university hospital | 543 |
Hospital not known | 31 |