Grant Details
Grant Number: |
5U01CA206110-09 Interpret this number |
Primary Investigator: |
Ulrich, Cornelia |
Organization: |
University Of Utah |
Project Title: |
Transdisciplinary Team Science in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis: the Colocare Study |
Fiscal Year: |
2024 |
Abstract
SUMMARY
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer among men and women in the U.S., leading to
over 50,000 deaths per year. Research aimed at reducing CRC’s high burden, discovering/validating novel
biomarkers associated with prognosis, addressing the growing epidemic of early-onset CRC, and countering
CRC disparities in underserved populations is of pressing importance. CRC patient cohorts that include diverse
populations and longitudinally ascertain clinical data and biospecimens are essential for pursuing these critical
objectives. The ColoCare Study is a large, multi-institutional prospective survivorship cohort that enrolls newly
diagnosed patients with CRC from diverse racial/ethnic and geographic backgrounds. CRC survivorship
cohorts are rare and ColoCare is unique given its collection of detailed epidemiologic and clinical data and a
variety of biospecimens at multiple time points. This design enables innovative survivorship research that
spans lifestyle/behavioral factors, racial/ethnic CRC disparities, and translational studies aimed at discovering
and validating novel molecular, blood- and microbiome-based biomarkers related to the risk of adverse CRC
outcomes. Such research can inform treatment decision-making, interventions aimed at improving key clinical
and patient reported outcomes, and the development of novel therapeutics.
The ColoCare Study has enrolled >3,000 patients with a median of 2.1 years of follow-up and biospecimen
collections including tumor tissue and serial blood, stool, and urine samples. Despite being a young cohort,
ColoCare has already supported 70 published papers and 79 projects that include 72 external investigators.
Continued U01 infrastructure support is critical to sustain and grow this valuable resource for CRC survivorship
research. Here, we will pursue the following aims: (1) Increase the size of the cohort from 3,361 to 4,157
participants, including enhanced recruitment of underserved and understudied populations who experience
significant disparities in CRC outcomes, and patients receiving novel therapies. (2) Extend participant follow-up
to 5-years through both active follow-up (biospecimens; questionnaires; medical record abstractions) and
passive follow-up (SEER/state cancer registries and National Death Index). (3) Maintain and expand the
ColoCare biorepository, including collection of tumor tissue samples and longitudinal collections of blood and
stool samples. (4) Maintain and expand the ColoCare Central Data Warehouse, the capabilities of our study
portal to encourage and facilitate requests from external and internal investigators, and engagement with our
Community Advisory Board to advance patient participation and the public dissemination of knowledge
generated by ColoCare. With continued infrastructure support, this unique and comprehensive resource will
continue to enable a wide-range of impactful colorectal cancer survivorship research.
Publications