Working group

One of the first goals of the IT working group under the leadership of Prof. Claus Belka (Klinikum der Universität München) is the harmonisation of the respective oncological study registers and thus the creation of a cross-site BZKF study register. Thus, in the future, it will be possible for both the patient and the physicians involved in the therapy to see all relevant studies of the six university hospitals at a glance.

Exchanging data and information is the foundation of oncological research. Therefore, the main goal of the IT working group is to harmonise an extend existing structures in order to establish a uniform IT infrastructure within the BZKF network.

Activities & Achievements

Prerequisite:

A fundamental prerequisite for optimal individual tumor therapy, but also for further development in oncology, is the creation of an information technology basis. Terms such as “digitalization”, “big data”, “artificial intelligence”, patient reported outcomes, and “shared decision making” are all terms that are frequently mentioned in connection with oncological therapies and will dominate future activities. Although the role of digitization in medicine has been known as a buzzword for many years, creating optimal presets and translating them into reality poses significant challenges for users:

Requirements:

• Data protection and data sharing
• Clarification and consent
• Storage capacities and data security
• Scenario-based trade-off between decentralized and centralized storage
• Software compatibility and interfaces
• Integration of proprietary software
• Software maintenance and customization
• Cost-effective solutions
  

Task:

The task of the IT working group within the BZKF is to discuss the central structural development of IT for the BZKF, to prioritize critical steps/proposals vis-à-vis the Directorate and, in case of content overlaps, to bring about coordination with the working group of the BZKF (e.g., Lighthouse Group-AI/IT, WG Molecular Tumor Board, etc.).

Prioritize the following steps:

• Query critical IT infrastructure such as oncology, imaging and radiation therapy documentation systems.
• Prioritization of hardware-software systems for BZKF teleconferencing systems.
• Prioritization of software systems for a BZKF-wide study registry.
• Allocation of a BZKF IT expert at each site

Milestones end of 2021:

• Procurement of software solution for study registry done and implemented in first steps
• Procurement and implementation of a BZKF teleconferencing system completed
• One BZKF IT expert at each site

Long-term goals at all BZKF sites

• Teleconferencing system (patient data incl. images)
• Electronic Data Capture System (with the possibility of involving associated medical practices, clinics and non-specialists).
• BZKF wide clinical tumor registry
• Storage of image data and radiotherapy dose data
• Storage of omics data and data on molecular tumor boards
• Connection of clinical data and biomaterials

Working Group Leader

Prof. Dr. Claus Belka, Klinikum der Universität München – Großhadern
E-Mail: Claus.Belka@med.uni-muenchen.de
Telefon: 089 4400-74520