Mr Peter How (Research Fellow):
Dr Gina Brown (Senior Lecturer and Consultant Radiologist), Mr Brendan Moran, Professor Bill Heald, Professor Phil Quirke, Pelican Centre, Basingstoke
Problem addressed, background and significance. Colorectal cancer is the third commonest cancer in the UK today. About one third of cases (12,000 every year) occur in the rectum itself, and surgery represents the best chance of cure.
While great advances have been made in treating mid- and upper-rectal cancers, low- (within 6cm of the anal opening) rectal cancers (LRC) have poorer outcomes. Much of this relates to the anatomy of the region, where cancers can spread more easily and surgery is more difficult.
A commonly performed operation for LRC is abdominoperineal excision (APE) which involves complete removal of both the rectum and anus. The problem is that it is often difficult to ascertain in advance how much needs to be removed during the operation: removing too little increases the risk of the cancer’s returning, while removing too much increases the risk of later complications.
While the development of high-quality MRI has helped improve outcomes in rectal cancer in general by helping to plan surgery, its value in helping to treat LRC in particular remains to be fully investigated.
Method(s) used. Before their operation patients will receive high-resolution MRI to ascertain the size and position of their tumour. The surgeon will use the results of the MRI and other tests to determine the extent of surgery required. Further tests after surgery will establish the volume of tissue removed in relation to the position and size of the tumour, and hence the efficacy of the surgery.
The result of this research will be….. to discover whether MRI can help the surgeon select the most appropriate type of APE in treating LRC and hence improve surgical outcomes.
This page was last updated on 20-07-2011