Biobank of 5-year lymphoma survivors as a resource for studies on late effects of cancer treatment

Despite the increased cure rates of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL), life expectancy remains compromised due to the occurrence of late treatment-related complications, such as cardiovascular disease and second malignant neoplasms. The risk of late adverse events can only be partially explained by treatment-related factors and lifestyle, suggesting a substantial genomic component. However, knowledge about genetic susceptibility and early biomarkers for treatment-related adverse events is lacking, precluding identification of subgroups of patients at higher risk of specific treatment-related adverse events.

Therefore, the aim of this project is to establish a national biobank ‘BETER-REFLECT’ with biospecimens of all 5-year lymphoma survivors identified through the Dutch BETER consortium project in order to:

• Examine genetic susceptibility for treatment-related adverse events
• Examine early biomarkers for adverse events

We aim to collect germline DNA for all 5-year survivors of HL and DLBCL from the BETER cohort (n=4160) including deceased individuals (2000). For survivors who visit the BETER survivorship clinics we will prospectively collect blood at the same time of the regular blood drawing. For survivor who do not visit a BETER clinic, we will obtain DNA through a home-sent blood sampling package. For all 5-year survivors who died, we will collect germline DNA from archived residual non-tumor Formalin-Fixed-Paraffin-Embedded tissues through the PALGA Dutch National Tissue Portal. All data will be integrated with the existing BETER clinical database.