Towards the development of a personalized care pathway for patients with bowel symptoms after treatment for rectal cancer through precision medicine

Summary

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd and 3rd most common cancer in respectively women and men, of which about 40% is located in the rectum. The gold standard treatment for rectal cancer (RC) is a low anterior resection, combined with chemoradiotherapy. However, this treatment will negatively impact different aspects of bowel function and the patients’ quality of life. These bowel symptoms often remain prevalent, even at 12 months after RC treatment. Most assessment tools are however not capable of capturing the full range or therapeutic-related evolution of these bowel symptoms. Consequently, the 1st aim is to develop a validated bowel diary for diagnosing and evaluation of all bowel symptoms. Secondly, it remains unclear which factors predict the presence of bowel symptoms in the long-term. Hence, the 2nd aim is to identify the factors contributing to persistent bowel symptoms in order to develop an evidence-based prospective care pathway for persistent bowel symptoms after RC treatment.

Theme(s): Oncology, Colorectal Cancer, Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, LARS, Bowel Function