Establishing a UK-wide bowel cancer data hub

Professor Eva Morris, based at the University of Leeds, is leading a £3.4m Cancer Research UK programme. It involves establishing a UK-wide bowel cancer (sometimes called colorectal cancer) data repository known as CORECT-R. It contains information about the diagnosis, management and outcome of bowel cancer cases diagnosed across the country.

At the helm of the UK Colorectal Cancer Intelligence Hub, Professor Morris seeks to use the data she collects to generate the high-quality intelligence needed to drive improvements in bowel cancer management and outcomes, generating the evidence needed to inform NHS cancer services.

Bowel cancer is a major public health problem. Around 42,300 people each year are diagnosed with the disease and around 16,300 die from it in the UK. Despite huge investment in care and research, there remains major variations in the diagnosis, treatment and outcome for bowel cancer.

There are existing datasets covering all aspects of care. Although they could be used to improve cancer outcomes, access for researchers to these databases is limited. The UK Colorectal Cancer Intelligence Hub will solve this by robustly linking multiple electronic data sources and making data available for research. The intelligence produced will underpin patient choice and help individuals reduce their risk of disease and access the best care.