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Research
UTHSC, International Colorectal Cancer Study
UTHSC Part of International Colorectal Cancer Study Renewed for Five Years $10 Million in New Funding to Continue Innovative Research A major international study of colorectal cancer called the ColoCare Study, which includes the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has received a five-year renewal with $10 million from the National Institutes of Health to fuel new innovations in colorectal cancer treatment. This next phase of the project will focus on developing new medical interventions based on earlier research findings from the ColoCare Study. It will also engage more patients in the research designed to yield insights into new tailored treatment approaches to critical unmet medical needs facing individuals with colorectal cancer. Originally founded in 2009, the ColoCare Study brings together scientists and a diverse group of patients from several research institutions and geographic areas across the United States in addition to UTHSC: Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City; Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa; and Washington University, St. Louis; and a site in Europe: University of Heidelberg in Germany. The goal is to better understand the unique factors that impact survival and quality of life outcomes among people with colorectal cancer. The principal investigator at UTHSC is David Shibata, MD, professor and chair of the UTHSC Department of Surgery, executive director of the UTHSC Cancer Program and newly named executive director of UTHSC Oncology at Regional One Health. “This is truly a unique research study that combines contributions of experts around the U. S. and the world, with the sole objective of conquering colorectal cancer,” Dr. Shibata said. Colorectal cancers start in the colon or rectum. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancers account for 10% of the approximately 19 million new cancer cases diagnosed worldwide last year. In recent decades there have been major improvements in colorectal cancer survival. But alarmingly, trends in recent years show colorectal cancer incidence and mortality is on the rise in people under age 50 (early onset colorectal cancers.) Racial and socioeconomic disparities are prevalent among those most likely to die of the disease. The ColoCare Study seeks to make a major impact in understanding how to reduce suffering caused by colorectal cancers. In its first five years, the study sites engaged more than 3,300 people diagnosed with colorectal cancers to participate in the research. The international network is a key feature of ColoCare, providing 14
