Ulrich Group ColoCare Study

The ColoCare Study (NCT02328677) is a prospective cohort of men and women diagnosed with primary invasive colorectal cancer (stages I–IV), with primary outcomes including quality of life, recurrence, and death.

It is the only colorectal cancer cohort that includes the collection of clinical and risk factor data and the sampling of a diverse panel of biospecimens at multiple critical time points (prior to surgery and at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months post-surgery).

This unique design with repeat assessments enables innovative research into these areas:

• Influence of lifestyle/behavioral factors on patient outcomes
• Ethnic/racial disparities in clinical outcomes
• The discovery and validation of novel biomarkers from blood, urine, saliva, and stool useful for guiding treatment decision-making and risk prediction
• Interactions between treatment, risk factors, and biomarkers on clinical outcomes
• Prognostic factors for patient outcomes in patients diagnosed before the age of 50 (early-onset colorectal cancer)

Dr. Ulrich initiated ColoCare together with Dr. William Grady at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center with subsequent consortium sites at the Moffitt Cancer Center, German Cancer Research Center, and Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). Additional ColoCare sites include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Tennessee.

ColoCare has successfully launched research on biologic determinants in these areas:

• Colorectal cancer (e.g., tumor immunity, gut microbiome, epigenome, obesity)
• Health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, diet, adipose tissue distribution)
• Clinical endpoints (e.g., surgical complications, recurrence, survival)
• Interrelations between these factors in the context of colorectal cancer prognosis

Read study facts for participants or visit the study-wide page to learn more.