Cancer research network: using integrated healthcare delivery systems as platforms for cancer survivorship research

Much progress has been made in cancer survivorship research, but there are still many unanswered questions that can and need to be addressed by collaborative research consortia. Since 1999, the National Cancer Institute-funded HMO Cancer Research Network (CRN) has engaged in a wide variety of research focusing on cancer survivorship. With a focus on thematic topics in cancer survivorship, we describe how the CRN has contributed to research in cancer survivorship and the resources it offers for future collaborations. We identified the following areas of cancer survivorship research: surveillance for and predictors of recurrences, health care delivery and care coordination, health care utilization and costs, psychosocial outcomes, cancer communication and decision making, late effects of cancer and its treatment, use of and adherence to adjuvant therapies, and lifestyle and behavioral interventions following cancer treatment. With over a decade of experience using cancer data in community-based settings, the CRN investigators and their collaborators are poised to generate evidence in cancer survivorship research. Collaborative research within these settings can improve the quality of care for cancer survivors within and beyond integrated health care delivery systems.