Summary
Funder: Bowel Research UK
In the United Kingdom (UK), 14,000 new cases of rectal cancer are diagnosed every year, between 5-10% are locally invasive at presentation with 4-8% of treated cancers being diagnosed with local recurrence. The only curative treatment option is major surgery called pelvic exenteration which has significant risks associated with it and is life changing. Little online patient information is available for these subgroup of patients and only 5 English speaking centres across the world have been identified as using their own local literature. This is despite recommendations from NICE and the Government that patients need to be actively involved in the decision-making process and be able to make an informed decision on treatment based on evidence-based medicine. Using Patient Decision Aid (PDA) is the best way to ensure that all clinical decisions are made jointly with the patient and taking into account their priorities. Patient outcomes are improved when patients completely understand the implications of treatment on their lives and a PDA would support this. Five specialist centres across the UK: Swansea, Newcastle, Leeds, London and Edinburgh would take part in the development and validation of this patient education tool.