“What is there to lose? As with many things in life, it is a matter of weighing up the risk, and with the type of monitoring regime in place – scans and endoscopy – the risk is low and there is still the fall-back option of having the second procedure.” R.M.
Many patients with early growths in the rectum (back passage) can have a safe removal of the growth through the back passage, and can avoid major abdominal surgery. However, the majority of patients are not offered this type of surgery because there has been difficulty in the past in being able to identify who can safely undergo this type of surgery.
We have found a new way of looking at MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans that can help us to improve how we find patients that could avoid major surgery and instead have the growth removed through the back passage. This procedure is known as “local excision”.
In the PRESERVE Trial we want to increase the number of operations that can be performed using local excision, by using this new MRI scan reporting system.
“It would help talking to other patients also going through this journey.” K.W.
Below are other websites that may be useful to you at different times during your journey.
Pelican Cancer Foundation www.pelicancancer.org/
Charity which drives innovation and development in bowel (colorectal), bladder, prostate and liver cancer treatment through research and education, and advancing precision surgery and treatment. So – our message is different. Our focus is on surgery, which provides the best outcomes and is often neglected.
Bowel Cancer UK bowelcanceruk.org.uk
Leading UK charity for bowel cancer patients, working to raise awareness of symptoms, promote early diagnosis and encourage open access to treatment choice for those affected by bowel cancer.
Healthtalk.org healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/cancer/colorectal-cancer/topics
Healthtalk.org comes from a unique partnership between a charity called DIPEx and The Health Experiences Research Group or ‘HERG’ at The University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Healthcare Sciences. It provides free, reliable information about health issues, by sharing people’s real-life experiences.
Macmillan Cancer Support macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/bowel-cancer
UK charity providing practical advice and support in all areas of life for people diagnosed with cancer including financial and emotional support.