Research Objectives
The majority of bowel cancer patients require surgery at some stage. Current research is focussed on improving patient outcomes following surgery. A large clinical trial currently being performed at Derriford Hospital on patients undergoing bowel surgery has been included in the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) Portfolio.
Further research projects have been planned but require substantial financial support. For example:
£1,000 - Will support a pilot study investigating whether bowel preparation (often given prior to surgery) affects an individuals’ fitness for surgery.
This project has been commissioned in September 2010, project time 3 months, outcome of study by December 2010.
£5,000 - Will support a proposed project into finding a simple ‘bedside’ test which could accurately identify those patients at highest risk of becoming unwell immediately after their operation.
£10,000 - Establish a registry of those at risk of bowel cancer due to inherited mutations. This will enable us to improve our identification and management of patients at risk with these problems.
£25,000 - Will allow a clinical trial to measure the time taken for individuals to regain their fitness following their operation. This may have a profound impact on planning recovery strategies, further surgery or chemotherapy treatments. Also, it may further highlight the benefits of laparoscopic surgery.
