Clinical Database of Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Window to the Real World

Patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, treatment-related information, and treatment outcomes are the main types of data currently collected by clinical databases on upper gastrointestinal cancer in the Netherlands. These data comprehensively cover the information that medical professionals are concerned with before and after patient treatment. It may help clinicians and policymakers understand the characteristics of the patient populations in the real world, the treatments they receive, and their treatment outcomes. Furthermore, it can aid medical experts in making targeted interventions in real-world medical practices, ultimately helping to improve the prognosis of upper gastrointestinal cancer patients. In Part I, the experience of the DUCA database in registering and maintaining a high-quality upper gastrointestinal cancer clinical database over the past decade was evaluated, with the intention of providing a reference for the construction of clinical databases in other countries or populations. In Part II, the upper gastrointestinal cancer clinical databases were used to generate evidence that may improve cancer care management in the real world. In Part III, the upper gastrointestinal cancer clinical databases were used to generate evidence that may influence surgeons' treatment decisions.