Building a rapid learning health care system for oncology: the regulatory framework of CancerLinQ.

Today is a time of unprecedented opportunity and challenge in health care generally and cancer care in particular. An explosion of scientific knowledge, the rapid introduction of new drugs and technologies, and the unprecedented escalation in the cost of health care challenge physicians to quickly assimilate new information and appropriately deploy new advances while also delivering efficient and high-quality care to a rapidly growing and aging patient population. At the same time, big data, with its potential to drive rapid understanding and innovation, promises to transform the health care industry, as it has many others already.