David Sebag – Montefiore, Professor of Clinical Oncology and Health Research at University of Leeds, shared on LinkedIn:
“We have reached an exciting milestone for the UK-led Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Stand Up To Cancer funded STAR-TREC rectal cancer trial – the publication of the 12 month results in The Lancet Group Lancet Oncology.
STAR-TREC sets out to determine whether radiotherapy, combined with a highly selective use of local excision, can safely replace radical surgery and help patients avoid a temporary or permanent stoma, the current standard of care.
- The study recruited 503 patients from 37 sites across five countries
- At 12 months, eight out of ten patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy were cancer-free and avoided surgery and colostomy
- At 12 months, six out of ten patients receiving short-course radiotherapy were cancer-free and avoided surgery and colostomy
- Acute radiotherapy side effects were low using of a novel smaller (mesorectal only) treatment volume developed by researchers at University of Leeds and Leiden University
It has been a great priviledge to co-lead this study with Professor Simon Bach, and to work with brilliant colleagues across Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.
A special thank you to Hugh, and his daughter Rachel Chown for sharing their experience, and bringing to life the benefits of smarter, kinder radiotherapy treatments to patients and their families.
Most importantly, a huge thank you to all the recruiting sites and, above all, the patients who agreed to participate in this study. This research would not have been possible without you.
