Towards a Bavarian Oncology Real World Data Research Platform

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Oncology Research
• Health Data Networks

Background:

• Numerous real-world data networks leverage electronic health records for medical research.
• Germany established a nationwide network (Medical Informatics Initiative - MII) accessible via the German Portal for Medical Research Data (FDPG).
• Bavarian university hospitals formed the Bavarian Cancer Research Center (BZKF) to create a specialized oncology research network.

Purpose of the Study:

• Establish a federated observational research network for oncology within the MII/FDPG framework.
• Extend the network with a focus on oncological clinical, imaging, and molecular data.
• Perform federated feasibility queries on clinical oncology data as a primary use case.

Main Methods:

• Describe adaptations and extensions to existing MII components.
• Develop a feasibility platform prototype for oncology data.
• Present the prototype to end-users for feedback.

Main Results:

• Oncological data exhibits higher interdependence and complexity compared to the MII core dataset.
• Insights were gained from developing and presenting the feasibility platform prototype.
• User feedback highlighted specific needs for oncology research data.

Conclusions:

• Formulated requirements for extending MII components to accommodate oncology-specific data.
• Addressed the needs of oncology researchers through platform development.
• Transferred results and experiences back into the broader MII development.