Wessex Chapter

02 March 2026

Chapter Representative:

Francesco Di Fabio – Basingstoke North Hampshire Hospital

About the Region

The Wessex Chapter brings together dynamic, forward-looking Trusts with strong local expertise. It promotes high standards in colorectal care through education, professional discussion, and close collaboration, further strengthened by geographical proximity. The region encompasses a diverse mix of urban and rural communities and includes well-established academic centres.

Chapter Representative

Francesco Di Fabio is a Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Basingstoke North Hampshire Hospital, where he serves as Clinical and MDT Colorectal Lead. He is also Deputy Lead of the UK National Programme OReCO (Optimizing Rectal Cancer Outcome), delivering 24 workshops over three years, covering all ACPGBI chapters across Great Britain and Ireland from 2024 to 2026. The programme aims to raise standards in the treatment of rectal cancer through education and collaborative practice.

Fellowships & Training Opportunities

• Basingstoke North Hampshire Hospital – 6 Peritoneal Malignancy Fellowship
• Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth - Robotic colorectal fellowship
• University Hospital Southampton – 1 Exenteration Fellowship, 1 Pelvic floor fellowship and 2 Colorectal fellowships (one attached to intestinal failure and one to abdominal wall)

Meetings & Educational Events

• 8^th Colorectal Cancer Workshop for Bowel Cancer Screening Practitioners – 4^th February 2026 – Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke
• Understanding and Managing the Late Effects of Bowel Cancer Surgery – 29^th April 2026- Hampshire Court Hotel, Basingstoke
• Bill Heald Rectal Cancer Symposium. May 8, Basingstoke – National meeting focusing on the past, the present and the future of rectal cancer management.
• 10^th Portsmouth Colorectal Congress – Largest international conference in the UK focusing on robotic colorectal surgery – King’s Conference Centre, Hedge End, UK
• Optimizing Rectal Cancer Outcome - Final Workshop Wessex Chapter – Basingstoke December 11^th, 2026

Subspecialty Strengths

• Peritoneal Malignancy (Pseudomyxoma Peritonei, colorectal cancer with peritoneal metastases and peritoneal mesothelioma) – Basingstoke
• Robotic colorectal surgery – Portsmouth, Southampton, Pool, Basingstoke
• Early Rectal cancer and Significant Polyps Early Colorectal Cancer (SPECC) Management – Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth
• Pelvic floor and functional bowel service – Southampton
• Pelvic exenteration – Southampton
• Intestinal failure and abdominal wall reconstruction – Southampton  
• Radical surgery for Anal Cancer – Salisbury

Collaboration, Initiatives, Trials

ORECO

Pelican Cancer Foundation in collaboration with The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain & Ireland are currently delivering Pelican OReCO (Optimising Rectal Cancer Outcomes), a national colorectal Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) workshop for colorectal MDTs in GB and Ireland. This programme commenced in January 2024 and will run until December 2026 and is comprised of 20 one day workshops throughout the UK

Pelican OReCO aims to:

• Raise awareness on current optimal management of rectal cancer with a focus on surgical techniques.
• Ensure more consistent processes across all colorectal MDTs to support individual patients
• Help all patients have the best treatment, at the best time in the best place

Clinical Trials

• HIPEC PMP trial - A single blinded, randomised controlled study to evaluate the non-inferiority of HIPEC with mitomycin C 10 mg/m2 for 60 minutes versus HIPEC with mitomycin C 35mg/m2 for 90 minutes in the treatment of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) from perforated epithelial mucinous tumours of the appendix.
• CSL Behring – Hemostasis in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei  Phase 3 Study of Fibrinogen Concentrate (CSL511) in Subjects With Pseudomyxoma Peritonei Undergoing Cytoreductive Surgery. This study is a phase 3, prospective, single center, randomized, open label, controlled, parallel arm, interventional study to investigate the efficacy and safety of CSL511, in participants undergoing cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) with predicted intraoperative blood loss of greater than or equal to (>=) 2 liter (L). Eligible participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to 1 of 2 treatment arms, to receive CSL511 or cryoprecipitate.

Get Involved

Interested in joining your regional activities or contributing to the next Chapter Spotlight? Contact Francesco Di Fabio (francesco.difabio@hhft.nhs.uk) or the ACPGBI External Affairs team.

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