The BROADBAND study aims to collect clinical data and biospecimens such as blood samples from patients of BWH/DFCI Radiation Oncology who choose to participate. These are to enable large-scale analyses within radiation oncology. Using a centralized model, BROADBAND approaches all radiation oncology patients for participation, and collects materials before, during, and after treatment to evaluate changes over time. This data informs research on radiation therapy’s effects for treating cancer and other conditions, optimizing personalized patient care.
The ways in which a person will respond to radiation treatment may vary substantially. Understanding how patients respond to treatment should dramatically improve radiation therapy in the future.
Hypothetical patients A, B, and C had the same cancer and same treatment. However, side effects and treatment outcomes can vary widely. BROADBAND studies patient samples to further investigate the mechanisms behind these differences.
BROADBAND was started in 2016 with the goal of creating a database and sample biobank to enable population-level research in radiation oncology. By broadly recruiting radiation oncology patients for longitudinal sample collection and data storage, BROADBAND moves radiation oncology research forward. We partner with the Mass General Brigham Biobank and the Dana-Farber Clinically Acquired Samples for Cancer Data Enrichment (CASCADE) study.
While the Biobank provides BROADBAND with resources and expertise, patients who consent to BROADBAND also consent to the Biobank through the merged BROADBAND consent form.
Patients are deemed potentially eligible by their treating physician when radiation mapping is planned. BROADBAND study staff discuss participation with eligible patients during their radiation mapping appointment. For patients who join, biospecimens such as blood samples are collected in conjunction with routine clinical appointments. Starting with the treatment mapping scan itself, patient data is collected in ways that can be readily utilized in BROADBAND sub-studies. Secondary use projects use this data and any samples collected to answer specific research questions.
Broadband workflow for consenting patients and collecting information and samples.
As of December 2024, over 7,856 patients have joined BROADBAND:
Statistics for BROADBAND participants.
BROADBAND collects samples longitudinally at baseline and follow-up, through our collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) on a neighboring protocol that allows us to order tubes onto pre-existing blood draws. Blood samples are collected, processed, and stored as frozen plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and serum for future research. Samples collected for current projects are processed in the DFCI’s Clinical Research Laboratory and frozen for future use.
Sample collection over time.
We typically only collect blood samples if either you are coming into our department and you have an IV already in or if you have a pre-existing blood draw appointment scheduled at the Dana-Farber.
Typically, you will not receive any genetic results from your samples. The Mass General Brigham Biobank will contact you if there is a genetic finding that is important to your health and is medically actionable (I.e., there is a known treatment for that finding or a known preventative measure). However, of all of the patients who give samples to the Biobank, this occurs less than 1% of the time.
People who can see your personal identifiable information, such as your name and date of birth, are researchers affiliated with Massachusetts General Brigham. With approval, other researchers can obtain your samples without your identifiable information.
There are no extra research appointments involved with participation.
If you are an investigator and want to apply for a project using BROADBAND data, or you are a patient interested in participating in research, please send an email to BROADBAND@partners.org.
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