- Home >
- Institut Curie News >
- Collect, analyze, cure: Institut Curie relies on real-world data to reinvent the medicine of tomorrow
On the occasion of World Data Protection Day on January 28, 2025, Institut Curie highlights the central role of real-world data in the fight against cancer. Faced with ever more complex medical challenges, these data from "real life" are emerging as a major lever for a more effective use of treatments on the market, while facilitating access to cutting-edge therapies. With its unique Health Data Warehouse and more than thirty innovative partnerships spearheaded by the sector leaders, Institut Curie is at the forefront of this transformation, using the data with rigor and security to improve patient care.
"Real- world data is like a real treasure trove that is bound to enrich medical knowledge and improve patient care. By providing "evidence" from clinical practice, they make it possible to continually refine therapeutic strategies, to extend the use of effective treatments to more complex indications, and to pave the way for almost tailor-made care," explains Dr. Cécile Campagne, Director of Institut Curie’s Technology Transfer Office and Deputy Director of Carnot Curie Cancer.
"At Institut Curie, we are committed to harnessing the immense potential of real-world data to provide better treatment today and reinvent the medicine of tomorrow. These projects, at the crossroads of clinical expertise and technological innovation, provide crucial data for the approval of new treatments, highlight personalized therapeutic approaches and significantly improve the daily lives of patients," explains Julien Guérin, Chief Data Officer at Institut Curie.
Real-world data: a lever for more effective medicine
Real-world data is the information contained in medical records, patient feedback collected with the help of questionnaires or connected applications, or even population and administrative data. Coming from "real life", they reflect the daily lives of patients and hospital departments, and complement clinical trials. Unlike controlled trial data, they integrate the diversity of courses of care and the impact of treatments in real world conditions. By providing concrete evidence, real-world data studies make it possible to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of treatments, identify unmet medical needs, optimize and personalize care, accelerate access to therapeutic innovations, and reduce the development costs of new medicinal products.
Thanks to its Health Data Warehouse1 , a first for a Cancer Control Center (CLCC) in France, Institut Curie has an exceptional heritage of real-life data, the result of the progressive digitization of 25 years of care for cancer patients. These precious data are pseudonymized and only accessible in highly secure workspaces, in accordance with CNIL regulations. This framework makes it possible to guarantee a secure, ethical and responsible use of data while offering a fertile ground for collaborative research.
Real-life data at Institut Curie
patient records
medical imaging examinations (CT, MRI, PET-Scan, etc.)
digitized anatomopathology slides (since 2022)
molecular analysis tests per year
A dynamic active partnership for transforming patient care
At Institut Curie, real-life data is at the heart of an ambitious strategy aimed at advancing medical research. This vision has led to more than thirty collaborations with leading companies over the past five years.
Among them, a flagship partnership with IQVIA, world leader in clinical research and specialist in strategic consulting and analysis of health data, has given rise to numerous real-life studies on key indications: breast, lung and ovarian cancers. Initiated in 2019, this partnership positions Institut Curie as one of IQVIA's privileged partners in France within their "Oncology Evidence Network". This network, made up of European hospital centers of excellence in oncology, is dedicated to collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry to carry out projects based on real-life data. Institut Curie is also expanding on direct collaborations with leading players, such as Roche and BMS, in order to carry out national-scale studies coordinated by Institut Curie, thus strengthening its leading role in oncology innovation.
These partnerships provide crucial data for the approval of new treatments, reveal personalized therapeutic approaches, and optimize clinical practices. Being at the crossroads of clinical expertise and technological innovation, they directly contribute to improving the quality of life of patients.
Focus on two recent studies
A recent study published at the end of October 2024 in the Breast Cancer Research and Treatment journal, spearheaded by AstraZeneca in collaboration with Professor Paul Cottu, Director of the Day Hospital at Institut Curie, examined treatment discontinuation rates in patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer. The study revealed the importance of supporting the continuity of treatments, showing that patients who continue beyond the first line benefit from better survival, thus highlighting an essential lever for full therapeutic effectiveness of treatments.
Read the publication in the "Breast Cancer Research and Treatment"
In January 2025, a study published in the JTO Clinical and Research Reports and led by Roche in collaboration with Professor Nicolas Girard, Director of Medical Oncology at Institut Curie, evaluated the effectiveness of Pralsetinib in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with RET gene fusion, a rare and difficult-to-treat form. The results showed positive response rates and a favorable safety profile, thus confirming Pralsetinib as the first-line treatment for this patient population.
Read the publication in the "JTO Clinical and Research Reports"
[1] Institut Curie is the first Cancer Control Center, and one of the first healthcare institutions in France, to have an authorization for its Health Data Warehouse (HDW) meeting the requirements of the CNIL standard in terms of safety in particular. The HDW authorized by the CNIL in 2024 will take effect in 2025.
Techtransfer News
