The James Paget has been recognised for playing an important role in the recruitment of participants for an international research study looking at treatments for a condition experienced by some patients who have surgery for colorectal cancer.
The POLARiS study (Pathway Of Low Anterior Resection syndrome relief after Surgery) is an international project that is looking to recruit 2,000 patients in United Kingdom and Australia who have undergone a high or low anterior resection for colorectal cancer in the last 10 years. This procedure sees the section of the colon or rectum affected by cancer removed, with the healthy ends then re-connected.
The study, sponsored by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme, looks to screen patients and find the incidence of Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). LARS is a collection of bowel symptoms experienced by patients after surgery.
Six hundred patients with major LARS symptoms will then take part in a randomised controlled trial that will provide treatments and find out how effective the available treatments are.
The James Paget is active in research and Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Kamal Aryal instigated the study at our hospital following recommendations from Consultant Colorectal Surgeon Mr Chris Liao and Senior Coloplast Nurse Rebecca Brown, with recruitment of patients beginning in January 2025.
The team have now been recognised nationally for their recruitment performance, high quality of data collection, efficiency and pro-active study management after recruiting more than 50 participants to the study.
To mark the achievements, POLARiS certificates recognising the efforts of the James Paget team were presented to Rebecca Brown and Associate Principle Investigator Dr Lok Kathayat at a meeting held at The Aldgate Centre in London at the end of April.
The team at the James Paget working on the study, in addition to the names above, include Co-Investigator Speciality Doctor Rai Subash, Nurse and Department Lead for the Colorectal Nursing Service Linda Sawer, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapists Rebecca Adeoye and Gayathiri Thiraviamkumar and Research Nurses Katherine Mackintosh and Kevin Howard.
