The CanTest Collaborative was funded from April 2017 to December 2022 by a Cancer Research UK Catalyst Award, and is an international team of primary care cancer researchers working on early detection and diagnosis of cancer.
Although the funding has now ended many of the researchers continue to work together in this important area of research and the project to date has delivered 313 publications as well as contributing to over 100 new funding awards.
CanTest funded 10 PhD students, 3 of which were clinicians. As the CanTest team took their next steps, many received promotions to permanent positions in a range of prestigious universities as well as receiving a number of research prizes.
CanTest’s extensive project portfolio covered a range of different cancers, with a focus on the ‘common’ cancers such as lung and colorectal, and the ‘hard to detect’ cancers such as pancreatic and ovarian. These typically present in primary care with non-specific symptoms and tend to be diagnosed after the cancer has become advanced and less amenable to curative treatment.
Underpinning all the research is the CanTest Framework. Published in mid-2019, it provides a conceptual approach for the evaluation of diagnostic tests along the translational pathway, from development to routine use in primary care, and addresses some key aspects missing from previous approaches.
CanTest has created an enviable global community of clinicians and scientists, by building capacity via its pioneering residential International School for Cancer Detection Research in Primary Care– this continues to be delivered annually.
