Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Collaboration for Academic Primary Care (APEx) Blog
Posted by ma403
17 October 2023Sarah Bailey
Associate Professor of Primary Care Diagnostics
One of the best parts of being a researcher is when you do some interesting analysis, which yields exciting results; you have made a new discovery! In August 2023, five members of APEx gathered for an Analysis Away Day, hoping for interesting analysis and exciting results. The day certainly lived up to our expectations.
The five of us are working on the CAncer Tools for Chronic Health Conditions (CATCH) project. This is funded by the NIHR SPOtting Cancer in Comorbidities programme (PI: Gary Abel) and by Sarah Bailey’s NIHR Advanced Fellowship. The aim is to develop cancer risk assessment tools for patients with chronic health conditions in primary care. We know that certain chronic health conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension, have an impact on cancer risk and presentation. This project aims to quantify the risk of cancer in patients with chronic health conditions and clinical features associated with cancer. The chronic conditions we are studying include diabetes, obesity, lung disease, heart disease, high blood pressure, and mental health conditions. The results will be used to help general practitioners in assessing symptoms and test results in patients with these conditions.
During our Away Day, we carried out the analysis for five case control studies of ovarian, oesophageal, lung, bladder, and pancreatic cancer. Six more cancers are to be studied in the coming weeks. The next step in the project is to consult our public and patient involvement teams for their insights into the results; we found that some symptoms are more likely to indicate cancer if the patient has a chronic health condition. Stay tuned over the coming months for more results!