In three years, Shyu and Armer plan to complete a system that automatically will pull research findings and new information from scientific journals and association websites through an automated data mining procedure. Shyu has an agreement with selected health care facilities from throughout the country to provide real-time, anonymous patient data so practitioners can understand how patients in different areas of the country are affected by lymphedema and its treatments.

"The development of an informatics depository for a data set holding key information for all patients with lymphedema of any cause offers enormous potential for answering research questions that are difficult to study with small data sets with varying criteria for lymphedema," said Armer. "This cyber-database will help us unlock the door to more immediate access to the latest information on evidence-based treatment and risk-reduction."

Faculty members and clinicians participating in the program include those at MU's Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, University of Chicago and Kenny Rehabilitation Institute's Virginia Piper Cancer Institute in Minneapolis, as well as specialized lymphedema practices. Shyu plans to add international sites before the system becomes available to the public.

Source: University of Missouri-Columbia