New Study Aims to Detect Cancer Earlier by Analyzing Medication Prescriptions

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Aberdeen are working on a new study that could help detect cancer earlier by analyzing the medications patients are prescribed before they are diagnosed. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, will explore whether patterns in prescription data can act as early warning signs for cancer, enabling earlier diagnosis and improving treatment outcomes. The research team will use extensive anonymized prescription data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank at Swansea University to examine whether changes in medication prescriptions can reflect underlying cancer conditions.

Key Takeaways:

The study, led by Queen's University Belfast, will analyze prescription data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank at Swansea University to identify potential early warning signs for cancer.
The research team will focus on eight cancers: multiple myeloma, pancreatic, stomach, ovarian, lung, renal, colorectal, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
The study aims to identify previously unrecognised medications that are newly used in the period up to two years before cancer diagnosis.
The research could lead to the development of new diagnostic tools that use prescription data to identify early signs of cancer.
The study will be the first of its kind to study prescription information comprehensively in the UK.
Previous studies have already shown increased use of pain and indigestion medication in women with ovarian cancer up to eight months before diagnosis and increases in haemorrhoid treatments in patients with colorectal cancer up to 15 months before diagnosis.

Statistics:

Around 385,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with cancer each year (Source: *).
The study will receive £76,462 from Cancer Research UK.
Nearly one in two people born in the UK will get cancer in their lifetime (Source:**).
The research team includes experts from Queen's University Belfast and the University of Aberdeen, including Professor Peter Murchie, Professor Chris Cardwell, Professor Carmel Hughes, Dr Sarah Baxter, Dr David Wright, and Dr BlÈínaid Hicks.

Sources:

"The number of cancer cases in the UK should increase by 17% by 2035" - source not specified
*Regulator of Healthcare (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/)