UK Computer Aided Theragnostics (ukCAT)
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
252108
Contact name
Daniel JOHNSON
Contact email
Research summary
UK Computer Aided Theragnostics (ukCAT)
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0317
Date of REC Opinion
2 Nov 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
The ukCAT system collects anonymous data about all patients, their disease and the outcome of treatment and uses
this information to build computer models which, in the future, may potentially be used to predict outcomes for new
patients. In addition to records of non-identifiable patient characterisics (e.g. age, gender, performance status),
disease type (cancer type and stage) and treatments (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy), the system also performs
calculations on scan images including information such as tumour size and shape.
A potential problem in creating computer models is that the amount of data used is too small or not representative of
all patients. A way around this is to combine data from many different hospitals to ensure the amount of data is large
and varied, resulting in higher quality models. However, anonymous medical information must be treated very carefully
to ensure it remains secure. The CAT system allows models to use data from around the world without any data ever
leaving the hospital where it is stored. The models comes to the data, data never leaves an institution.Research programme
Computer Aided Theragnostics (CAT) is the use of large population-based cancer patient data that aims to develop our understanding of patients, imaging and treatment characteristics linked to outcome (e.g. toxicity and survival). Ultimately the development of theragnostics will lead to the individualisation of treatment based on population data as opposed to selected patients included in clinical trials. However this tailored approach will have to be tested in prospective clinical trials and is not part of this application. One aim of the project will be to develop computer models linking outcome (survival, side effects) to individual patient characteristics, scan image results, markers in blood and tissue and treatment. The models learn from previously treated patients to provide individual predictions of the potential help and harm of a particular therapy for each new patient.
Research database title
UK Computer Aided Theragnostics (ukCAT)
Establishment organisation
South Tees Hospitals NHS FT
Establishment organisation address
South Tees Institute of Learning, Research and Innovation
Marton Road
Middlesbrough
TS4 3BW