The 'Good Friday Agreement' and cancer research on the island of Ireland: Evidence for the impact of a tripartite cancer research partnership.

Autor: Lewison G; King's College London, Institute of Cancer Policy, Department of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK. Electronic address: grantlewison@aol.co.uk., Gavin A; Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast UK. Electronic address: a.gavin@qub.ac.uk., McCallion K; InterTradeIreland, Old Gasworks Business Park, Kilmorey St, Newry BT34 2DE, UK. Electronic address: karen.mccallion@intertradeireland.com., McDermott R; Cancer Trials Ireland, Old Finglas Road Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: raymcdermott@tuh.ie., Sullivan R; King's College London, Institute of Cancer Policy, Department of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Studies, Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK. Electronic address: richard.sullivan@kcl.ac.uk., Lawler M; Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7AE, UK. Electronic address: mark.lawler@qub.ac.uk.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) [Eur J Cancer] 2020 Apr; Vol. 129, pp. 15-22. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Feb 27.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2020.01.014
Abstrakt: Aim: In 1999, a cooperative tripartite cancer research and training agreement was signed between Ireland (IE), Northern Ireland (NI) and the United States (US) National Cancer Institute, giving rise to the All-Ireland Cancer Consortium (AICC). We wished to consider if AICC increased the amount/impact of cancer research on the island of Ireland and what effect this enhanced research activity had on cancer services and cancer outcomes.
Methods: As comparator, we chose the city regions of Copenhagen and Lund & Malmö, whose physical connection was greatly improved following construction of bridges between Denmark and Sweden around the time AICC was established. We analysed cancer research outputs from all four geographical regions in the Web of Science (1988-2017), with a particular focus on citations and journal impact factors. We evaluated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) as an indicator of change in health status.
Results: Research outputs increased in all four regions, but more in IE/NI than in the Scandinavian cities, while collaboration between IE and NI and both the US and the Rest of Europe increased even more substantially. Citation scores also showed a greater improvement for IE and NI. Journal citation impact factors indicated that IE/NI papers were increasingly being published in more highly cited journals. Research-enabled cancer service provision improved on the island of Ireland, with concomitant increases in cancer survival.
Conclusion: The AICC collaborative agreement delivered significant additionality on the island of Ireland, promoting transnational cooperation, enhancing cancer research activity, and underpinning improved cancer services and better cancer outcomes.
Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement M.L. declares honoraria from EMD Serono, Pfizer and Roche unrelated to this work; M.L. and R.S. declare and unrestricted educational grant from Pfizer for research unrelated to this article. All other authors declare no conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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