Kicking cancer in the butt while saving our arses!

People with rectal cancer often have surgery to remove part of the gut. While it’s great for getting rid of cancer, the surgery can cause unpleasant side effects, like severe diarrhoea or the need for the patient to wear a colostomy bag.

These bags collect poo that passes through a hole in the abdomen instead of through the anus. Patients must wear them for the rest of their lives.

BUT Professor Simon Bach wants to find a way to kick cancer in the butt while saving our arses!

Thanks to SU2C, Professor Bach and his team are leading a clinical trial called STAR-TREC. They’re determining whether minor surgery combined with radiotherapy or radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy could effectively treat rectal cancer. This would avoid major surgeries and literally save patient’s arses!

If successful, this trial could improve survival and also allow people with rectal cancer to have a better quality of life.

Cancer type:

Rectal

Location:

University of Birmingham