Project R-16347

ExploreIntego: General practice data for targeted cancer prevention in primary care (Research)

The seed funding project aims to investigate whether and how we can use the Intego database, an existing database containing medical patient data from general practitioners in Flanders, for cancer prevention and early detection. The Intego database contains a wealth of routinely collected data, including the age, gender and lifestyle (e.g. smoking, alcohol consumption and BMI) of patients, chronic conditions and medication use, symptoms and consultations, as well as information about cancer diagnoses. This data provides a strong basis for developing risk prediction models. However, although the medical records in Intego contain information about cancer diagnoses, this data is not recorded in a standardised way. As a result, some data may be incomplete or uncertain, which could be a challenge for developing reliable risk prediction models and for better understanding how and when cancer patients use primary care. With this project, we aim to: - Identify how the available data can be used optimally. - Determine which statistical methods are needed to obtain accurate insights from the data, taking into account the missing data and variations in the data. - Explore applications that can support general practitioners in cancer prevention and early detection of cancer risks. In addition, we want to build a strong consortium by engaging in dialogue with GPs (organisations) and patient representatives, in order to tailor the insights we can glean from the Intego database to the specific needs of GPs and patients. This will lay the important foundation for a larger follow-up project in which concrete prevention strategies and implementation tools will be developed.

01 November 2025 - 31 October 2026