CancerLink Plus – Establishing a database to facilitate prospective investigations into cancer-related health outcomes among participants of the Singapore Population Health Studies

Population health studies have gained national and international importance due to the increasing incidence of cancer. These studies utilize real-world data from electronic health records and disease registries to address the entire population at a macro level. They segment the population into groups with evolving needs to improve the overall distribution of health outcomes. Additionally, well-designed population-based cohort studies play a crucial role in investigating the interactions between lifestyle, physiological, genetic, and other omics biomarkers, and their impact on health and longevity. These studies also monitor risk factors in the population and provide insight into determinants of health-related behaviors.

We intend to extend the utility of the SPHS cohorts to better understand cancer etiology and progression in this population, and to address questions that will lead to improved preventive and therapeutic measures for Singapore and potentially other Asian populations.

Our goal is to link the study participants recruited through the Singapore Population Health Studies with real-world data from government agencies available via the TRUST platform and high-quality electronic health records from the National Cancer Centre Singapore (ANCHOR). This provides a comprehensive understanding of the epidemiological and biological factors influencing cancer.