Improving the Prognostic Accuracy of Staging Rectal Cancer using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Detected Tumour Deposits and Vascular Invasion (mrTDV) instead of Tumour Nodal Metastasis (mrTNM) (MERCURY 3)

Research summary

This project aims to improve treatment decision-making when patients are first diagnosed rectal cancer by improving the accuracy of preoperative staging by radiologists using MRI. We aim to improve the accuracy and quality of information given to patients about their disease stage to improve shared decision making, reduce patient side-effects and ensure that patients receive personalised treatment tailored to their prognosis. We will be consenting patients to measure the impact of the current vs novel staging systems on their quality of life and shared decision making experience. Patients in the study will be recruited in two phases - control and intervention. All eligible patients will be identified in the multidisciplinary meetings and will be registered on the trial. Patients will undergo their normal treatment as determined by their clinical team. Before and after training of the radiologists (this is the intervention),scan reports will be captured and compared with histopathology and longer term outcomes. In addition,clinical team members will approach patients to consent for quality of life and the shared decision making process. The patient information sheet explains that we are providing consultant radiologists with the know-how to report MRI scans using a new method and comparing it this with the existing method. We explain this study will test this by comparing how accurately the old vs new method predicts the outcomes for patients. The clinical team will follow up the patients for five years at 1,3 and 5 years to report on their long term outcomes. Consented patients will also be asked to complete quality of life questionnaire at their routine clinical follow up appointments. They will not attend clinic for any research specific reason. Research staff will capture the number and type of hospital visits and investigations for patients in both the control and intervention phases at one year. This is to compare health resource use between both phases. This data is non clinical observations about NHS resource use.

Principal Investigator

Nicolas Symons

Contact us

Email: ctf.research@ouh.nhs.uk

IRAS number

348532