For the successful implementation of multi-center Pancreatic Cancer studies, a close information partnership between multiple centers with expertise in Pancreatic Cancer epidemiology, genetics, biology, early detection and patient care has to be established.

The overall goal of this project is to develop Integrated Biomedical Computing Tools (IBCT) for better understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer (PC) by using the power of computer and information sciences. The IBCT contains three integrated components: (1) the Pancreatic Cancer Collaborative Registry (PCCR) component gathers complete information on PC patients and individuals at high risk of developing PC; (2) integrated Data Repository (iDR) converts the collected data into the format suitable for data mining; and (3) the Pancreatic Cancer Statistical Models (PCSM) component, consisting of a set of statistical tables and models, will allow statistical analysis of the PC data and prediction of the risk of PC development as well estimation of survival rates. These three components serve as a foundation for the integration of the information flow between patients, clinicians and researchers.

The data collected and analyzed by the IBCT will serve as a platform for the development of novel hypotheses and plans for future research. It will also lead to the better understanding and treatment of PC.