The Cancer Research Network: a Platform for Epidemiologic and Health Services Research on Cancer Prevention, Care, and Outcomes in Large, Stable Populations.

The ability to collect data on patients for long periods prior to, during, and after a cancer diagnosis is critical for studies of cancer etiology, prevention, treatment, outcomes, and costs. We describe such data capacities within the Cancer Research Network (CRN), a cooperative agreement between the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and organized health care systems across the United States.