Seven cancer practices will begin submitting patient records to the first version of CancerLinQ, the "big data" platform that the American Society of Clinical Oncology is developing to guide oncologists in improving patient care.
When fully operational, CancerLinQ will analyze patient care data from electronic health records to provide clinical decision support that is pertinent to a patient's unique constellation of personal and medical factors.
In a presscast for reporters last month, ASCO announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, CancerLinQ LLC, has now teamed with the software manufacturer SAP to use the SAP HANA platform to develop CancerLinQ.
ASCO President Peter Paul Yu, MD, said ASCO has committed some $10 million to the effort, although financial specifics were not revealed. Some of the funding has come from Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Pfizer Oncology, Bayer, Genentech, Helsinn, Lilly, Novartis, Susan G. Komen, and Amgen.
The initial practices-called "vanguard practices"-which will provide patient records beginning later this year are:
* Inova Comprehensive Cancer & Research Institute;
* South Coast Centers for Cancer Care;
* New England Cancer specialists;
* Medical Oncology Hematology Consultants;
* Cancer Treatment Centers of America;
* Marin Cancer Care;
* Space Coast Cancer Center; and
* Michiana Hematology-Oncology
"We are participating in CancerLinQ and excited to do so because we think this will transform cancer care," said Therese Mulvey, MD, Physician-in-Chief at South Coast Centers.
Another seven cancer centers have agreed to join subsequently, meaning than about 500,000 patients will be represented in the first version of CancerLinQ, according to information from the society.
ASCO has been working on CancerLinQ for many years, and in 2013 announced that its proof-of-principle trial had proved successful, leading to the decision to proceed with the ambitious project.