Online applications
For the purpose of the Belgian Virtual Tumourbank the Belgian Cancer Registry developed an online web application. This application consists of 2 modules, a registration module called BVTr (Belgian Virtual Tumourbank - registration module) and a catalogue module called BVTc (Belgian Virtual Tumourbank - catalogue module) (see figure in dataflow).
Both the applications can only be accessed after identification and authentication by the eHealth User and Access Management (UAM), allowing a highly secured way of managing medical data.
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BVTr
The registration module BVTr allows both registrations from the local tumourbanks by the biobank employees and processing of data by the BCR. The profiles and access rights for the BVTr differ depending on the user (BCR or biobank). More specifically a local biobank can upload registrations, query its own database and update its data if necessary, while the BCR can search the data from all local biobanks, publish registered data in the catalogue, reject records when mistakes are noticed, add cTNM values from the database of the cancer registry and perform quality controls on the registered data. To upload new registrations a biobank has 2 options, i.e. an individual registration or a batch upload:
The individual registration option offers a tool to biobanks to register their individual data directly via the system. By downloading the registered data, they can use this database for local registration as well.
Most biobanks use their own local registration system. By exporting their data to a standardized template via an extraction algorithm these biobanks can easily upload this extracted file in the central database of the BVT. After an automatic validation the registered data appear in the central database.
This central database is regularly checked by employees of the BCR, who can either publish data to the BVT catalogue database or reject the registration and send them back to the laboratory.
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BVTc
Once data are published they become available for cancer researchers via an online catalogue (BVTc) containing medical, technical, and patient details (but excluding identifying information to ensure privacy of individuals). The BVTc is an easy-to-use tool that allows researchers to perform queries using specific search criteria and to trace the samples of interest to the local biobanks of the BVT network. The access to the BVTc is restricted to authorized users only. All the physicians representing the participating hospitals in the BVT Steering Committee have access.
If you are a researcher, active in the broad field of oncology, and you are interested to access the online BVT catalogue for information and localisation of individual samples, please visit the page "Access to the catalogue ".
The most recent table with aggregated data table of primary malignant tumour tissue samples registered in the BVT catalogue, can be downloaded on the page "Aggregated data ".
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