Research Programs and Projects

Research Programs and Projects
The impact of obesity on survival outcomes following drug treatment for advanced malignancy (Approved) Obesity is known to increase the risk of developing many types of cancer. However, once someone has developed cancer being overweight may mean for some cancer types the prognosis is better but for other types worse. The reasons for this are not fully ...
SPCR HRT inequalities (Approved) Menopause symptoms, including hot flushes, anxiety, mood swings and poor disturbed sleep, can be severe in some women, substantially impacting on their quality of life. The menopause also causes an increased risk of osteoporosis (bone thinning) and f ...
Defining the relationship between lipids, statins, and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia using primary health records (Approved) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as motor neuron disease, MND) is a fatal disease affecting the brain and nervous system that causes progressive weakness and death, typically within 3 years of symptoms starting. Frontotemporal dementia ...
Analysis of survival from blood cancer in England (Ongoing) I. To estimate the number of years of life lost due to blood cancer in England II. To identify and measure disparities in blood cancer survival in England (by age, geographic area, gender, deprivation quintile and ethnicity) III. To estimate potenti ...
Quantifying disparities in HRT prescribing (Ongoing) Objective a To determine the overall uptake of HRT in women of menopausal age and describe uptake of different types of HRT, duration of use and demographics of women taking HRT and those who are not over a 10-year period. Objective b To identify pr ...
Influenza, MenACWY, HPV and COVID-19 vaccines in children: uptake, safety and effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK (2) (Ongoing) Aims and Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of children globally with major health, social and educational consequences. It was seen that during the pandemic that fewer children received some of the common childhood vaccines. Th ...
Antibiotic use and survival from breast cancer (Ongoing) What is the aim of the study? What do we plan to do? Our primary objective is to compare the survival experience of breast cancer patients who frequently use antibiotics to the survival experience of breast cancer patients who do not frequently use a ...
Comparisons of risk prediction algorithms using three clinical research databases (QResearch, CPRD Aurum and CPRD Gold) (Ongoing) QResearch, CPRD Gold and CPRD Aurum databases are three large general practice databases which are widely used for research. The CPRD databases are similar to the QResearch database but contain a different group of practices and are linked to differe ...
The Psychosis Metabolic Risk Calculator (PsyMetRiC) - Validation, Recalibration and Model Revision Study (Ongoing) People with long term mental illness die earlier than people from the general population. This is mostly because of physical health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Preventing these physical health problems is an important way to improve the ...
COVID-19 vaccination in children in England: uptake, safety and effectiveness (Ongoing) We aim to investigate the uptake, safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in children, in particular 1. To determine the uptake of COVID-19 vaccine administered to children in the age range of eligibility. Uptake of vaccines in children will ...
Co-prescription of antibiotics and oral anticoagulants and risk of bleeding (Ongoing) The aim of this study is to find out which antibiotics might lead to bleeding amongst people who use blood-thinning medications, known as anticoagulants. Why is this important? The main anticoagulants used in the UK are warfarin and a group of drugs ...
Uptake, effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations in pregnant women. (Ongoing) COVID-19 has affected millions of people worldwide with major consequences for health, work and lives. Three different types of COVID-19 vaccines have been given to the UK population. Adults (including pregnant women) are eligible for a primary cours ...
Dynamic evaluation and updating of Covid-19 risk prediction models over time: Methods and pipeline (Completed) Since the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the UK in early 2020, the pandemic has impacted all of our daily lives. It became clear that some people were at greater risk of hospitalisation or death if they became infected. Researchers develop ...
Effects of obesity on COVID in the 2nd wave of the pandemic (including healthcare costs) (Ongoing) It is now established that infection with the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, does not affect everyone equally, with some prone to get more severe illness, called COVID-19, than others. We have previously shown, using data from the first wave of the ...
What knowledge would support improving the management of teenagers with dysmenorrhoea in primary care? (Ongoing) The aim of this project is to improve the information and resources available to support teenagers experiencing painful periods. Period pain affects up to 93% of teenagers. Approximately one third of them experience severe pain, causing them to miss ...
Decision risk tool for early diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) among new-onset diabetes (Ongoing) Despite improvements in treatment and care, pancreatic cancer remains a very deadly disease. This is mainly due to patients presenting at late stages of disease when there are fewer treatment options. Patients with pancreatic cancer diagnosed at earl ...
Optimising NHS blood cancer patient care in the COVID-19 pandemic (Ongoing) Covid has affected millions of people around the world and has had a major impact on their health, work and lives. This made it important to quickly develop vaccines to help protect people against Covid. Several vaccines have been approved for use in ...
Examining effects of GP intervention and smoking cessation on secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (Ongoing) Tobacco smoking has been associated with increased likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke, it follows that stopping smoking may have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular health and potentially help reduce the risk of having a second heart att ...
Development and validation of personalised risk prediction models for early detection and diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among the English population from primary care (Ongoing) The WP6 of the DeLIVER project aims for early detection and diagnosis (ED&D) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, the most common type of liver cancer) among patients at high risk from the English primary care setting using routinely collected electroni ...
Long Term Complications of Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers (Ongoing) Over the last 50 years remarkable progress has been made in the treatment and survival of childhood, adolescent and young adult (CTYA) cancers; with up to 80% now surviving longer than ten years (1). Despite this success, however, childhood and teena ...
The Integration and Analysis of Data using Artificial Intelligence to Improve Patient Outcomes with Thoracic Diseases (DART) (Ongoing) This study aims to develop, validate, and evaluate individualised/personalised risk prediction models that can be used to identify high-risk patients who will benefit the most for lung health check and/or lung cancer screening using low dose computer ...
Development and validation of a risk assessment tool to improve early detection of childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer (Ongoing) Childhood and teenage cancer ranks as the 6th leading cause of total cancer burden worldwide and is associated with significant long-term morbidity (1). Cancer is the commonest cause of mortality by disease among children and young people in the Unit ...
CoMPuTE: Complex Multimorbidity Phenotypes, Trends, and Endpoints (Completed) Multimorbidity (having multiple diseases at one time) is a growing problem in health and social care. Both research and actual recent events have shown that those suffering from multimorbidity have greater health and care needs and worse health ou ...
Exploring the Long Term health outcomes of a Pregnancy with gestational Diabetes (ELOPE-GDM) (Ongoing) Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes that affects pregnant women. It usually goes away after giving birth. Developing GDM increases the risk of problems during pregnancy and birth, and there is evidence that women who develop GDM are at m ...
Uptake and comparative safety of new COVID-19 therapeutics (Ongoing) COVID-19 has affected millions of people around the world and has had major consequences for peoples’ health, work and lives. This made it important to quickly develop vaccines to help protect people against COVID-19. Several vaccines and other medi ...
Maternal depression and anxiety disorders and child mental health outcomes (Ongoing) Problems relating to Maternal Depression and Anxiety Disorders (MDAD) are common and are known to affect child health and development. In the UK, the cost of these problems has been estimated at £8.1 billion for each birth cohort of children, and 72 ...
Development and validation of statistical learning models to predict breast cancer diagnosis and breast cancer mortality in the general population: a cohort study (Ongoing) Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women. In the UK each year, 55,000 women are diagnosed with it, and over 11,000 women die from it. Breast cancer screening uses mammograms (a form of X-ray) to try and detect breast cancers at an earl ...
A second wave of crisis in the NHS after the COVID-19 pandemic (Ongoing) The COVID-19 pandemic could affect the population in several dimensions. The virus will have direct effects on people who catch it, but also indirect effects on the rest of the population due to the disruption it is causing to life and access to heal ...
DELTA - integrated Diagnostic solution for early detection of Oesophageal cAncer (Completed) Oesophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause for cancer related deaths worldwide. Compared to the rest of the European countries, UK has some of the worst outcomes mainly due to late diagnosis. The main risk factor for oesophageal cancer is ch ...
Quantifying the association between COVID-19, ethnicity and mortality: A cohort study across three UK national databases (Ongoing) Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and doctors noticed that different ethnic groups seemed to have different risks of getting infected with COVID-19. They also noticed that the ethnic groups who were more likely to have the COVID-19 infect ...
The Impact of Miscarriage on Mental Health Outcomes (Ongoing) The overall aim of this study is to measure the impact of miscarriage on mental health outcomes in women between 16 and 50 years old. ...
Diabetes as a risk pathway towards early diagnosis and prognostication of pancreatic cancer (Ongoing) In this study, we will evaluate: (1) association between type-2 diabetes and related illnesses with pancreatic cancer, (2) quantify referrals for pancreatic cancer scans amongst patients diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in primary care in line with ...
Antipsychotic prescribing and health monitoring in young people (Ongoing) Antipsychotic medications can be prescribed to any child or adolescent with particular mental health issues. These include severe conditions, such as schizophrenia, as well a range of behavioural disorders, learning difficulties, autism and tics. P ...
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of childhood, teenage and young adult cancers (Ongoing) In the United Kingdom (UK), the commonest cause of death in children, teenage and young adults (TYA) is cancer. Diagnostic delays are known to play a role. By increasing delays, the COVID-19 pandemic may worryingly contribute to worsening morbidity a ...
Examining the effects of obesity on the severity of COVID-19 symptoms (Completed) Infection with the coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, does not affect everyone equally, with some prone to get more severe illness, called COVID-19, than others. Studies so far have shown that being overweight is associated with more severe disease, but ...
COVID-19, smoking and respiratory conditions: a prospective QResearch-Case Mix Programme study (Completed) We aim to assess whether smoking reduces the risk of severe COVID-19 and whether the risk of severe COVID-19 is also reduced in people who use nicotine in the form of electronic cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), but do not currently s ...
Development and evaluation of a tool for predicting risk of short-term adverse outcomes due to COVID-19 in the general UK population (Completed) Introduction The first UK cases of the novel coronavirus infection that causes COVID-19 were confirmed on 24th January 2020 and the first UK death on 28th Feb 2020. Since then the virus has spread rapidly. There are currently no vaccines or treatmen ...
Seasonal trends in antidepressant prescribing and mental health diagnoses in adolescents and young adults (Completed) The antidepressant drugs prescribed to adolescents for depression and anxiety are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Since 2005, SSRI prescribing has been increasing in adolescents in the UK. This increase may be because more young ...
QResearch-ICNARC Coronavirus Record Linkage Project (Completed) The majority of UK residents will likely have been infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19) by the end of the current pandemic. Large numbers of people will receive hospital treatm ...
Use of hormone replacement therapy and survival from cancer (Ongoing) The aim of the study is to determine the association between HRT use after cancer diagnosis and cancer-specific mortality in patients with common female cancers, excluding breast cancer. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is widely used. HRT is prov ...
Characteristics of Chronic Hepatitis B associated with Cirrhosis and Cancer (Ongoing) Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality worldwide, with an estimated 300 million people infected with HBV globally. Chronic infection, through its progression to cirrhosis and/or primary liver cancer, repre ...
Hormone replacement therapy and dementia risk: nested case-control studies using QResearch and CPRD (Completed) Dementia is a devastating condition with serious consequences for affected individuals, families, carers and wider society. It is commonest in older people, affecting 1 in 14 over the age of 65. In the UK, there are currently about 850,000 people l ...
Dietary or weight loss advice for hypertension in diabetes in primary care (Completed) The aim of this study was to find out the proportion of people with high blood pressure or diabetes who were receiving diet or weight loss advice from their doctor. We also wanted to investigate whether certain factors, such as age, weight, gender, s ...
Choosing the right antidepressant for depressive disorder (Ongoing) Depression is a very common major health problem, 350 million people in the world are affected. The costs for major depression are largely due to significant problems in treatment. There are several effective treatments for depression including drug ...
Improving Early Recognition of Motor Neurone Disease (Completed) The aim of this study is to identify and quantify patterns of ‘red flag’ symptoms associated with a diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The research will inform the evidence base for the subsequent development of tools in GP systems to improve ...
QFracture - risk of osteoporotic fracture (Ongoing) QFracture is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of osteoporotic fracture taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Osteoporotic fracture is identified ac ...
QDiabetes Risk Assessment Tool (Ongoing) QDiabetes is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of type 2 diabetes taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Type 2 diabetes is identified according to c ...
QKidney - predicting the risk of chronic kidney disease (Ongoing) QKidney is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of moderate or severe kidney disease taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Moderate or severe kidney di ...
QStroke - risk of ischaemic stroke (Ongoing) QStroke is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of ischaemic stroke taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Ischaemic stroke is identified according to c ...
QThrombosis - risk of thrombosis (Ongoing) QThrombosis is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of thrombosis taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Ischaemic stroke is identified according to cli ...
QAdmissions, QFrailty and QMortality (Ongoing) QAdmissions is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of emergency admission taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. Ischaemic stroke is identified accordi ...
QStatin - risk of unintended effects from statin medication (Ongoing) QStatin is a risk prediction algorithm which calculates an individual’s risk of cataract, myopathy, acute renal failure and liver dysfunction taking account of their individual risk factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, clinical values and diagnoses. ...
QCancer Risk Assessment Tools (Ongoing) QCancer is an evolving family of risk prediction algorithm which calculates (a) an individual’s risk of having a current cancer and (b) risk of developing cancer in the next 10 years and (c) survival for patients with a diagnosis of cancer. Each ...
QDiabetes - Risk of diabetes related complications (Ongoing) This project includes two aspects: 1. To quantify the risk of each complication associated with different diabetes treatments. There are many different treatments for patients with diabetes. Clinical trials have generally shown that these treatmen ...
Predicting survival outcomes for patients with a new diagnosis of cancer (Ongoing) Outcomes for patients with cancer in the UK tend to be worse than those for similar developed countries worldwide. The reason for this isn’t fully understood but may reflect delays in diagnosis and variations in uptake of cancer treatments. Improving ...
Validation of QPrediction scores in QResearch and CPRD (Ongoing) The QResearch database and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) databases are two large general practice databases which are used for research. The CPRD was set up in 1988 and is of similar nature and size to QResearch although it is derive ...
QRISK - a new cardiovascular risk score (Ongoing) To develop and validate updated prediction algorithms to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease in women and men accounting for new and established cardiovascular risk factors. QRISK is continually updated as (a) population characteristics evo ...
QBleed - risk of bleeding (Ongoing) To develop and validate risk algorithms (QBleed) for estimating the absolute risk of upper gastrointestinal and intracranial bleed for patients with and without anticoagulation aged 21-99 years in primary care. QBleed is updated regularly to ensure ...
ADEPTS: Accelerated Diagnosis in neuroEndocrine and Pancreatic TumourS (Completed) Pancreatic cancer is the 11th most common cancer in the UK. Diagnoses are often made late when the cancer is advanced. Less than 20% of patients are suitable for surgery and 84% of patients are likely to have died within a year of diagnosis giving ...
Antipsychotic use in children and adolescents (Ongoing) Antipsychotic medications can be prescribed to children and young people with certain mental health issues. Some of them are serious, such as schizophrenia. Others include aggression and disruptive behaviour, intellectual disability and autism, and ...
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing in the UK population and its implications (Completed) Screening tests can be used to find cancers at an early stage before symptoms appear. For prostate cancer, a blood test called PSA can be used. A good screening test should find prostate cancers earlier, before they have spread to other parts of the ...
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Risk of Breast Cancer (Completed) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be of significant benefit to women who suffer severe symptoms during menopause. This is the stage in every woman’s life when hormone production in the ovaries slows down and her periods stop. Up to 80% of women ...
Antidepressant Decision Aid Tools and Risk Assessment (Completed) Depression is very common affecting up to 11% of the population. One of the treatments for depression is antidepressant medication. There are many different types of antidepressants and most of them are effective. Some antidepressants have more adver ...
Risk of thrombosis in women prescribed Hormone Replacement Therapy (Completed) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to relieve adverse symptoms and reduce risk of chronic conditions in women going through menopause. There are different therapy types, which depend on the symptoms experienced by an individual. Some women re ...
Comparison of Co-morbidity and Investigations For People with Diabetes in Bermuda and the UK. (Completed) Our objectives were to: Compare the prevalence of six major morbidities in the general population in Bermuda with the UK. This included diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, heart failure and kidney failure. Characterise the popula ...
Evaluation of the NHS Health Checks in England 2013-2017 (Completed) Adults in England are entitled to a free NHS Health Check to find out whether they are at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, or dementia, and they are offered support to reduce the chance of developing these conditions. Everyone ...
Establishing the validity of a case-finding tool to identify patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (Completed) Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is a common inherited cause of raised cholesterol, affecting up to 320,000 people in the UK. However, over 80% of people with the condition are still not identified, leading to many avoidable heart attacks and earl ...
Validating a postpartum venous thromboembolism risk prediction model using QResearch (Completed) Having a blood clot develop in a vein, known as a venous thromboembolism (VTE), can happen more often in young women after giving birth. Although it is rare, it is very serious and is a leading cause of maternal deaths in high-income countries, so pr ...
Unintended effects of novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC) vs warfarin in real world settings vs warfarin (Completed) Anticoagulants (also known as ‘blood thinning’ agents) are used to treat blood clots & also to help prevent people with irregular heartbeats from having a stroke. A stroke can be very serious as it can lead to loss of use of arms or legs, for example ...
Anticholinergic drugs and the risk of dementia: a nested case control study. (Completed) Dementia is a common condition in older people, with serious consequences for affected individuals and their families and carers. Several factors can increase the risk of developing dementia such as older age, obesity, smoking, alcohol and having oth ...
Combined oral contraceptives and risk of venous thromboembolism: nested case-control studies using the QResearch and the CPRD databases (Completed) Combined oral contraceptives (commonly known as “the pill”) are used by millions of women around the world to prevent pregnancy. As with all medicines, they have side-effects many of which are mild. However one side effect can be an increased risk of ...
Antidepressants study in adults less than 65 years (Completed) Antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed medications worldwide, and their use is increasing. There is some evidence that certain illnesses and harmful events could be caused by antidepressants, so the study was carried out to see wheth ...
NHS Health Checks Study 2009-2013 (Completed) In England the NHS Health Check started in 2009 and is the first programme internationally aiming to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in an entire national adult population through behaviour change and treatment informed by CVD risk ...
Cardiovascular and neuropsychatric risks of varenicline () Varenicline is a drug that can help smokers quit. However, there are concerns about possible serious adverse events in users of this drug. The aim of the current study was to assess whether varenicline is related to such events, both in the general s ...
Antiepileptic drugs and metastasis () Cancers often spread to distant sites in the body to form secondary tumours. This process is called metastasis. In order to metastasise, cancer cells need to invade through surrounding tissue. Metastasis is rarely curable. If we could slow the spread ...
Diabetes treatments and risk of cancer: a series of nested case-control studies () Type 2 diabetes is a condition which is becoming more common as the population ages and obesity levels increase. Diabetes can lead to heart disease, kidney disease and also an increased risk of some cancers. It is not known whether the increased risk ...
Exploring the Long-term (clinical) Outcomes following a PrEgnancy affected by Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (Ongoing) Gestational diabetes (GDM) is a form of diabetes that affects pregnant women. It usually goes away after giving birth. Developing GDM increases the risk of problems during pregnancy and birth, and there is evidence that women who develop GDM are at m ...
MAARS Multimodal Active Adaptive Risk Stratification for Cancer (Ongoing) Compared to similar economically developed countries, the UK has an appalling record for diagnosing cancers at a late stage, when curative treatment is not possible. For example, the UK has one of the poorest survival rates for colorectal cancer in E ...

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