Detecting Cancer Early

Liver, pancreas and bile duct (hepatopancreatobiliary) cancers are the third most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. In Scotland, the incidence of liver cancer alone has increased by 274% over the past 20 years, with 578 liver cancer deaths recorded in 2018. The reason for this increase is not clear. Liver, pancreas and bile duct cancers may develop in people who already have risk factors and therefore, we need to know who is most likely to develop these cancers. The purpose of this project is to identify which patient groups benefit from early detection of hepatopancreatobiliary cancers. We will use cutting-edge analytical techniques including machine learning to identify how we can predict and detect cancer far earlier. The analysis will support future projects using DataLoch’s high quality linked datasets aimed at prevention, early detection and treatment of liver, pancreas and bile duct cancers.