Biostatistics Core

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Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and the developed world. Despite the availability of proven effective preventive screening tools, less than 50% of average risk Americans in the high-risk age group (over 50) have been screened. After age, personal and family history of colon and/or polyps is the most common risk factor. Following APC mutation, the mechanisms of adenoma formation and progression are proving complex. The integrated approach of the 4 projects addresses these issues from several different perspectives. The Biostatistics Core (Core D) provides statistical expertise for all University of Utah Colon Cancer PPG projects, cores, investigators and participants. Core members collaborate in 1) the design, implementation, and analysis of laboratory and clinical research studies, and 2) the development and application of new statistical methods and analysis algorithms to address problems relevant to PPG projects. Core staff will function as collaborative members of research teams to jointly develop design and analysis plans to address research questions. Functions provided by the Biostatistics Core include development of experimental designs, participation in study implementation, data quality monitoring, statistical analysis and interpretation of findings, and collaboration on presentation of results. To achieve these functions, the Core director and biostatisticians collaborate with project investigators, and are in regular contact with the project and core leaders. The primary objectives of the Biostatistics Core are 1) To provide study design and review of all laboratory, animal and clinical studies including feasibility assessment, power analysis and sample size calculation. 2) To collaborate in projects' data analysis, interpretation of results, and the writing of final study reports and manuscripts. 3) To work with the Analytical Core (Core B) and Clinical Core (Core C) in their activities to ensure data quality and timely data capture. 4) To develop and evaluate statistical methods for experimental design and data analysis as required for PPG projects. The Biostatistics Core supports all four Colon Cancer PPG projects at the University of Utah.