The National Cancer Institute's cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™): Linking research and care

Abstract

17539 Background: The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid, or caBIG, is a virtual informatics infrastructure and tools to enable the seamless exchange of information between clinical research and care delivery. caBIG supports basic and translational research, clinical trials research, in vivo imaging, and tissue banking and pathology. Its standards-based grid technology supports linkages with compatible electronic health records (EHRs). Methods: An oncologist should be able to ask “what are the treatments and outcomes of other patients who have similar characteristics to my patient.” caBIG makes this possible on multiple levels: local, institutional, regional, national, and beyond by leveraging grid infrastructure to scale beyond traditional query systems. NCI is partnering with key organizations to develop the technical basis for interoperable oncology EHRs and promote the adoption of interoperable EHRs in oncology practices. It is working with community cancer centers to use linked databases to support ongoing basic, clinical, and population-based cancer research. Results: Over 40 NCI-designated Cancer Centers and many smaller community cancer centers are deploying caBIG technologies and adopting or adapting specific tools to strengthen their research and care. These efforts will bring the latest scientific advances and the highest level of innovative and integrated multispeciality care to a larger population of cancer patients. Conclusions: Research and care can be strengthened through the use of standards-based, interoperable electronic medical records integrated with research-oriented modules. There are tools immediately available to aid clinical oncologists through the NCI caBIG initiative. Enhanced clinical analyses are made possible by EHRs working interoperably with caBIG tools and resources. No significant financial relationships to disclose.