Work

Exploring patterns of acute and primary care utilisation before diagnosis, during treatment and for 3 years postcompletion of surgery and adjuvant treatment in women with endometrial cancer: a protocol for a Victorian data linkage study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Women with endometrial cancer have two to three times higher rate of pre-existing chronic cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension (59% vs 31%), obesity (34% vs 15%) and diabetes (26% vs 10%) compared with women without cancer. With a 5-year cancer-specific survival of 85%, these women are three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than they are to have a cancer recurrence. Surveillance for recurrence dominates post-treatment follow-up, a model misaligned with greatest health risks. Current approaches to endometrial cancer care may disrupt established management pathways for high-mortality risk chronic conditions and how best to manage chronic disease postcancer remains unclear. Women’s engagement with health services to manage chronic conditions before, during and after cancer treatment and what it means for long-term health is unknown. Linked data enables examination of healthcare utilisation across the care continuum. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This retrospective cohort study uses data accessed via the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance Data Connect platform, an Australian platform that links Victorian general practice data: Primary Care Data Research Repository (PATRON); hospital data—Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (VAED), Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Dataset (VRMDS), Victorian Emergency Minimum Dataset (VEMD), Victorian Integrated Non-Admitted Health Dataset (VINAH); and clinical registry data—Victorian Cancer Registry (VCR) and Victorian Death Index (VDI), managed in the secure environment of the Centre for Victorian Data Linkage (CVDL). Data span 2008–2022. Healthcare utilisation across acute and primary care settings will be mapped across three phases: prediagnosis, during treatment and 3 years post-treatment. Data will be analysed using descriptive statistics reporting frequency and percentage of encounters, mean and SD. Primary outcome is frequency and patterns of healthcare utilisation before, during and after endometrial cancer diagnosis and treatment. This includes frequency and type of cancer and non-cancer healthcare encounters, patterns of specialist versus general practice (GP) care, evidence of care associated with, or sought for, chronic diseases. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Study approved by the Office of Research Ethics and Integrity (Number 2025–23718-73133-20); Patron Data Governance (ID PAT 0001138), The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Results will be disseminated via funder reports, peer-reviewed publication, professional and consumer conferences.

Source: BMJ Open

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-126305