ColoCare: tracking health and recovery after colorectal cancer
Official title: Transdisciplinary Team Science in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis: the ColoCare Study
Funded at Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah · NIH-11170698 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people with colorectal cancer over time to find blood, stool, and tissue signs that predict recovery and long-term outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2016 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,724,414 |
| NIH project number | 5U01CA206110-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170698 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer who are treated at a participating clinic and willing to provide medical data and biospecimens over time are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without colorectal cancer, or those unable or unwilling to provide follow-up medical information and biospecimens, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
If you join ColoCare, you'll be enrolled soon after a colorectal cancer diagnosis at a participating center and followed over months and years. The project collects detailed health and treatment records plus biospecimens including tumor tissue and serial blood, stool, and urine samples at multiple time points. Researchers combine lifestyle, clinical, and molecular data to look for markers linked to recurrence, survival, and quality of life. That information is used to help guide treatment choices and to design interventions that could improve outcomes for survivors.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help personalize treatments, identify patients at higher risk of recurrence, and guide interventions to improve survival and quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cohort studies have identified some prognostic biomarkers, but ColoCare's large, multi-site design with repeated biospecimen collection is relatively unique and aims to validate and discover additional markers.
Where this research is happening
-
Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ulrich, Cornelia M — Utah State Higher Education System--University of Utah
- Study coordinator: Ulrich, Cornelia M
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Colorectal cancer prognosis through a broad, collaborative study
A large, multi-center study follows people newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer to find biomarkers and patterns that predict outcomes and guide future care.
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ColoCare: following people with colorectal cancer to find blood and microbiome signs
This project follows people newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer and collects blood, stool, urine, and tumor samples to find markers that help predict outcomes.
-
Body fat, muscle, and clot-related inflammation in colorectal cancer outcomes
This project uses AI analysis of CT scans plus blood and tumor tests to link patterns of fat and muscle with clotting-related inflammation that may change outcomes for people with colorectal cancer.
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ColoCare: colorectal cancer survivorship and prognosis
This project follows people newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer to find blood, tissue, stool, and lifestyle markers that help predict outcomes.
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Investigating how body fat affects colorectal cancer outcomes
This study is looking at how being overweight might affect the outcomes of colorectal cancer by using special technology to get a better picture of body fat and muscle, and it hopes to find new ways to help treat patients based on their unique needs.
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Improving colorectal cancer screening and follow-up care.
This study is working to help more people get screened for colorectal cancer and receive the follow-up care they need, especially those who haven't been screened much before, so that everyone can have better access to important health checks and improve their overall health.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.