Colorectal Cancer is the Most Common Cancer in the Population
Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer among the population. In women, it is the second most frequent tumor after breast cancer, and in men, it is the third, following lung and prostate cancer. In terms of mortality, the Galician Ministry of Health highlights that it ranks second in Galicia for the number of deaths. However, early diagnosis is crucial for survival. If detected at early stages, such as I or II, the five-year survival rate ranges between 75% and 90%, but drops to 15% at stage IV.
To continue improving these outcomes, the work of the Galician Network for Colorectal Cancer Research (REGICC), coordinated by Alejandro Pazos, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UDC, is key.
This network brings together the expertise of the top researchers and clinicians in the community, using the latest advancements in ICT to acquire, manage, and analyze data with the goal of transforming information into actionable knowledge, making it useful.
Today, one of the main challenges in advancing the understanding of complex diseases is the difficulty of managing and integrating all existing information about each aspect of the complete problem.
REGICC comprises over a hundred professionals from 30 research groups in Galicia, all united with the goal of making significant progress in R&D&I on colorectal cancer from a multidisciplinary perspective. Additionally, it explores the development of techniques and procedures to enhance healthcare quality through a translational approach. This framework integrates patients and their families as the core of the healthcare process, aiming to make the Galician healthcare system, which is public and free, more sustainable.
The network has minimal management infrastructure and lacks a physical location. Each research group works voluntarily and without financial compensation.
There are no dedicated facilities provided to other REGICC members, thus drastically reducing the operational budgets supported by the Xunta.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY WORK
REGICC is a healthcare network that includes clinicians and professionals from all clinical specialties involved in oncological diseases (oncologists, radiotherapists, medical imaging and digestive specialists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, pathologists, family doctors, etc.), supported by experts in biostatistics, bioinformatics, medical informatics, pharmaceutical informatics, etc.
Additionally, basic science researchers (molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, and other omics), central hospital services (biobanks, pharmacy, etc.), and support for patients and their families (occupational therapists, psychologists, patient and family associations) are included in this project.
To streamline its operations, the network is divided into working groups proposed by a REGICC member who will become the coordinator.
Network members can join any working group at any time. The number and topics are variable and adaptable to trends, advances, and needs identified by network members.
Currently, REGICC includes research groups from the seven main Sergas hospitals, two private hospitals, primary health care centers, the Galician Public Foundation for Genomic Medicine, the Institute of Biomedical Research of A Coruña, the Galician Biomedical Foundation South, the three Galician biobanks (A Coruña, Vigo, and Santiago), the three public universities of the SUG (UDC, USC, UVigo), and the Galician Supercomputing Center (Cesga).
BEGINNINGS
This research network began to be established in 2003, consolidating in 2004 with the launch of the Pilot Project on Colorectal Cancer in Galicia, Spain, funded by the National Cancer Institute and included in the Participant Sites project of the Family Colon Cancer Registries.
Since 2005, REGICC has been supported by private and public funds obtained through competitive calls. Throughout its history, REGICC research groups have produced significant scientific output: research papers in scientific journals, R&D projects, doctoral theses, spin-offs, etc.
ADVANTAGES OF GALICIA
This community is an ideal geosocial area for such research networks for several reasons, as social, scientific, genetic, and environmental components are well combined.
Galicia is known for its prestigious public and free healthcare system with international recognition, facilitating access to medical records and biospecimens. It also includes the monitoring of over 95% of CRC cases in a population of nearly 3 million people.
Additionally, it has high incidence rates of CRC and genetic homogeneity in the population with low genetic contamination. Historically, Galicians were very migratory, but the community had very few immigrants.
Most CRC patients are over 60 years old and come from large families, increasing the statistical importance of studies, especially in pathologies that may have a genetic or epigenetic origin.
Access to patients’ families is easy as they usually live nearby. Culturally, they are inclined to collaborate in such circumstances, which has also made participant recruitment for studies more efficient and easier.
Furthermore, there are multiple highly qualified and motivated research and clinical groups in this field that have been collaborating and working together in multidisciplinary groups within the CRC network since 2003 and continue to do so in REGICC.
DATA MANAGEMENT
This network covers the entire spectrum of what is known as translational research, from basic science laboratories to population studies and patient care: specialized primary care, post-treatment, etc. This generates a vast amount of data and information that needs to be properly acquired, managed, processed, and analyzed.
Four research groups within the network (RNASA, CESGA, ATIS-CHUAC, and COG), experts in scientific, health, and hospital data management, provide support to other network groups.
REGICC also considers the entire patient care process, from detecting initial symptoms in screening programs or primary care centers to patients’ functional recovery, thanks to the work of occupational therapists.
These networks also cover scientific research on the pathology, optimizing drug discovery processes through docking studies.
Other innovative actions by REGICC include personalized and precision medicine approaches, such as analyzing data related to the microbiome for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, control, and monitoring of the disease.
CONCLUSIONS
Finally, some important conclusions and lessons learned from REGICC’s experience are as follows:
– A multidisciplinary and translational approach combining all expertise is necessary to study this complex disease, impacting patient well-being and system sustainability.
– Leading such networks requires a multidisciplinary research group with experience in both informatics and basic sciences, as well as clinical and research knowledge.
– The results of the Pilot Project on Colorectal Cancer in Galicia, Spain, initially met objectives and collected data on 62 families, representing 230 participants.
SOURCE: El Correo Gallego