Improving how cancer recurrences are counted and tracked
Refined Capture-Recapture Methods for Surveilling Cancer Recurrence
This project develops new statistical methods to more accurately count and track cancer recurrences using registry and medical-record data for people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11182565 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have had cancer, this project aims to make the numbers reported about cancer coming back more reliable. Researchers are improving 'capture-recapture' methods that combine multiple data sources (such as cancer registries, hospital records, and death data) to produce better estimates of recurrence. They will identify weaknesses in commonly used models, create clearer ways to show uncertainty, and build visual tools to explain the results. The team will use data from the Georgia Cancer Registry and explore situations where a well-controlled data source can anchor other records to improve overall counts.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People whose cancer diagnosis and follow-up information appear in cancer registries (for example, the Georgia Cancer Registry) or linked medical records would be the records used in this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose care and outcomes are not captured in registries or linked data sources, or who live outside registry coverage areas, may not directly benefit from these analyses.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could give patients, clinicians, and public-health programs more accurate information about how often cancer comes back, helping guide follow-up care and resource planning.
How similar studies have performed: Capture-recapture is an established epidemiologic approach, but this project applies refined statistical modeling and clearer uncertainty visualization to address known biases and gaps, representing a practical methodological advance.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lyles, Robert H — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Lyles, Robert H
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 below.