A new study into whether shopping behaviours can reveal early warning signs of cancer is recruiting participants through Be Part of Research.
By analysing data on purchases of over-the-counter medications, this research aims to identify shopping patterns which could indicate early signs of cancer. Patients with a formal diagnosis of cancer and healthy volunteers are being invited to take part, to compare the 2 groups.
Data will be collected through the loyalty cards of consenting participants who shop in Boots and Tesco. Researchers hope this data will reveal subtle trends which could be used to flag the early signs of disease. This can ultimately lead to much earlier medical interventions for a variety of cancers.
The CLOCS-2 study (Cancer Loyalty Card Study 2) will recruit almost 3,000 volunteers across the UK. The initiative builds on previous work which successfully demonstrated that changes in the purchase of over-the-counter pain and indigestion medications could signal early signs of ovarian cancer.
The new study will expand its scope to investigate 10 specific cancer types:
- bladder
- bowel
- endometrial (cancer in the lining of the womb)
- liver
- oesophageal (cancer in the throat)
- ovarian
- pancreatic
- stomach (gastric)
- uterine (cancer in the uterus)
- vulval
Many of these conditions can often present with mild or non-specific symptoms, such as bloating, indigestion, or fatigue. This often leads people to self-medicate with over-the-counter products before seeking medical advice.
Picking up on minor changes to people’s shopping habits could help nudge them towards speaking to their doctor for further investigation. This could help catch and treat more cancers earlier.
Professor James Flanagan from Imperial College London, who is leading the study, said: “This study ultimately has the potential to revolutionise how we can use everyday data to understand and improve people’s health.
“We’re excited to build on the success of our first CLOCS study and to see if looking back at people’s shopping history can give us clues to the way different conditions start to appear.”
The research team will analyse the shopping history of 1,450 cancer patients and 1,450 healthy participants. Participants will be recruited via GPs and the Be Part of Research service.
The study is led by Imperial College London and funded by Cancer Research UK. It is also supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Sign up to Be Part of Research to find out how you can take part in this study. If you are eligible, we will email you with information about how you can take part.
