What You Should Know:
– Flatiron Health, a leading healthtech company dedicated to improving cancer care and advancing research using real-world data (RWD), today announced that its international oncology research network has tripled in size across the UK, Germany, and Japan over the past year—a milestone that marks an unprecedented acceleration in global cancer research collaboration and impact.
– Flatiron Health entered international markets to address the growing unmet need for high-quality, real-world oncology data that is reflective and representative of patient populations, practice patterns, and care settings globally.
Driving Global Progress in Oncology: Flatiron Health Expands Multinational Real-World Data Ecosystem
Flatiron Health is redefining the possibilities for oncology care by harnessing the power of real-world evidence, machine learning, and AI to fuel more connected, data-driven care experiences for cancer patients. As an independent affiliate of the Roche Group, Flatiron is advancing a modern oncology ecosystem that transforms real-life patient experiences into actionable knowledge.
Building a Global Network for Smarter Cancer Research
Over the past five years, Flatiron has established a robust international network spanning more than 30 leading academic medical centers, hospitals, and community sites across Europe and Japan. Contributing de-identified data to Flatiron’s real-world database, this network includes:
- UK partners: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Germany: Klinikum Stuttgart
- Japan: National Cancer Center Hospital East, National Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya University Hospital, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital
In addition, Flatiron’s collaboration with University Hospital Essen in Germany has produced impactful evidence, including research published in Nature Cancer and presented at ASCO GU, underscoring the potential of multinational real-world data (RWD) in shaping modern oncology research.
Transforming Evidence Generation Through Secure Infrastructure
Flatiron has published seven studies using its multinational RWD over the past two years, all powered by its Trusted Research Environment (TRE). This secure platform enables access to patient-level data while ensuring compliance and local data control. Recent research featured in ESMO Real World Data and Digital Oncology demonstrated:
- The feasibility of cross-country cohort analyses
- Collaboration between local oncologists, engineers, and researchers
- High-quality characterization of oncology EHR-derived RWD in the UK, Germany, and Japan
This work provides global researchers with the methodologies and infrastructure to explore treatment patterns and outcomes across healthcare systems, reinforcing the value of multinational evidence generation.
Addressing Gaps in Oncology Data Access
Despite significant progress, many countries still face barriers to accessing timely and representative oncology datasets. In response, Flatiron launched Flatiron FORUM (Fostering Oncology RWE Uses and Methods)—a global consortium aimed at expanding real-world evidence capabilities beyond the UK, Germany, and Japan. Key objectives of Flatiron FORUM include:
- Co-developing rigorous, transportable use cases
- Advancing methodologies to enable cross-border data analysis
- Validating the generalizability of outcomes across diverse health systems
By fostering collaboration among biopharma and academic institutions, Flatiron FORUM addresses persistent regulatory and scientific challenges and ultimately drives better patient outcomes through more representative, globally relevant evidence.
As Nathan Hubbard, Chief Business Officer at Flatiron Health, notes, “Our partners are already unlocking answers to complex research questions—answers that traditional data sources can’t support.” Flatiron’s expanding network and infrastructure continue to open new frontiers in oncology care, ensuring that every patient, no matter where they live, benefits from smarter, evidence-driven treatment decisions.
