Patient choice in the multimodality treatment for rectal cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding patient choice in the multimodality treatment for rectal cancer
IRAS ID
285823
Contact name
C Cunningham
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 21 days
Research summary
Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in both men and women in the UK. Every year, more than 8000 patients are diagnosed with rectal cancer where the cancer develops in the last 15 cm of bowel nearest to the back passage. During surgery, the surgeon will remove the piece of bowel that contains the cancer and join the two ends of bowel back together. Sometimes, a temporary stoma is created and occasionally there is not enough bowel to join, in which case a permanent stoma is created. The surgery itself can have an effect on a patient’s bowel, urinary and sexual function impairing their quality of life. Living with a stoma can also have a significant impact on a patient’s physical and mental well being. If patients have an early stage cancer where the tumour has not spread beyond the bowel, it is possible to do a smaller operation just to remove the cancer or give radiotherapy and avoid surgery altogether. This would mean that these patients do not face the risks of having a big operation, however, they require regular tests to make sure that the cancer does not grow back, often every 2-3 months for up to 5 years. As this is a new way of treating rectal cancer, there is also some uncertainty as to how effective this treatment is compared to surgery which has been considered the standard treatment.
Patients with early stage rectal cancer face a difficult choice when it comes to deciding which treatment to have. The aim of this study is to find out about the patient’s experience of being told they have cancer and the subsequent treatment, especially their feelings about the information that was given. We hope that by interviewing these patients we will gain a better understanding of their needs and concerns so that in the future we can prepare and counsel patients better. We also plan to design leaflets that can help give the information that is important to patients to help them make this difficult decision, often at a difficult time.REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SW/0065
Date of REC Opinion
25 May 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion