Could supported weight loss reduce bowel cancer surgery complications?

ABSTRACT: Background and study aims In the UK, 42,000 people each year are diagnosed with bowel cancer. It is the fourth most common cancer. Surgery to remove the cancer is the best treatment. However, it has a risk of complications, which is doubled for people who are overweight/obese. Patients experiencing complications recover more slowly, stay in the hospital longer and need more care. This isn’t good for patients or the NHS. Physical fitness and well-controlled blood sugar are linked with fewer complications from surgery. For people who are overweight, weight loss improves both of these factors so that it may reduce complications. One reliable way to lose a meaningful amount of weight in the short period before surgery (3-4 weeks) is through a low-calorie diet programme: eating only special nutritious soups and shakes (880 calories/day) that have all the necessary vitamins. With weekly support from a dietitian, most people succeed. Typically, people lose 5% of their weight within 20 days. The NHS uses a version of this programme to treat type 2 diabetes. In small-scale studies, patients with cancer who are overweight have been willing and able to take part in less intensive weight management programmes before surgery but lose little weight. However, the period before bowel cancer surgery is associated with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety, so it is unclear if patients can follow a more intensive programme. Who can participate? To start to find out if this treatment is in the best interests of patients’ physical and mental health, we will recruit 72 overweight patients awaiting bowel cancer surgery What does the study involve? Half of the participants will be randomly allocated to continue with their usual care and half will be offered the weight loss programme. We will see whether enough patients are willing to take part, lose weight, and return for follow-up visits. We will monitor complications for 30 days after surgery and any reduction in muscle mass due to the weight loss. We will interview patients about their experiences. This information will tell us if a full trial is worthwhile to test whether this programme can reduce complications from surgery, improve outcomes for people with bowel cancer, and if the financial costs are likely to be worth the benefits. It will also help us refine the treatment plans according to patient feedback. The researchers discussed the study with seven patients and public representatives (PPI). They thought it was a critical study and the team included their suggestions for making it easier for patients to join the trial, stick to the programme, and attend visits. The research team will work with the PPI throughout the trial.

DISEASE(S): Colorectal Cancer

PROVIDER: 15269 | ecrin-mdr-crc |

REPOSITORIES: ECRIN MDR