The continuous and ever-growing pressure on patients to participate in clinical trials calls for a new approach to patient enrolment. Central inclusion of patients, in combination with data sharing  between researchers, reduces patient burden. This is one of the reasons why the Prospective Observational Cohort Study of Oesophageal-gastric Cancer Patients (POCOP) was founded. The study aims to facilitate both national and international research to improve outcomes of patients with oesophageal-gastric carcinoma.

Clinical data are retrieved from the Netherlands Cancer Registry+ (NCR) and patient reported outcomes are collected in the form of questionnaires after informed consent by the patient. Questionnaires are currently only available in Dutch. In addition, patients can consent to participate in the Trials within Cohorts Design (TwiCs). Finally, to facilitate scientific research in multidisciplinary fields, POCOP may link databases to existing Dutch registries like the Dutch Upper GI Cancer Audit for surgical insights. By combining all of these facets of research into one organization, POCOP is able to facilitate scientific research in the broadest sense.

By collaborating with existing organizations like IKNL and Profiles, in addition to many others, the time investment per patientfor participatings hospital is relatively low. Hospitals and health care professionals are involved in POCOP’s scientific research through a representative in the scientific committee, which regulates data extractions and the development of new research initiatives.

For more information regarding POCOP and the procedure for requesting data, please contact the study team: pocop@amsterdamumc.nl