2007-2011 Research Report - Faculty of Health Sciences ...

Photo: Basil Popowycz, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital
RESEARCH
The Northern Network Colorectal Surgical Service has a long-standing history of high quality
academic and industry-sponsored research. This is reflected by our history of publishing in
internationally esteemed journals such as the British Journal of Surgery, Lancet and Annals of
Surgery.
Members of the Northern Network Colorectal Surgical Service conduct research in the following
areas:
� Assessments of the safety and efficacy of new and/or emerging surgical and oncological
interventions.
� Investigations into novel treatment options, including new investigational drugs and modifications
to treatment regimens.
� The use of preoperative CT and PET scans for colorectal cancer staging.
� Improvements in postoperative care, including the application of fast track surgery.
� Quality of life improvements for patients with colorectal diseases, such as cancer, haemorrhoidal
disease, anal fissure, and pelvic floor disorders.
Our researchers have a history of successful competitive grant funding from the National Health &
Medical Research Council and the Cancer Council of SA. Funding has also been received from
research foundations, including the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australasia Research
Foundation, Bowel Cancer Trust, and The Hospital Research Foundation. In the past, industry
sponsored research and funding support has also been received from companies such as Covidien
Healthcare, Johnson & Johnson Ethicon, Orphan Australia and Wyeth Consumer Healthcare.
Our research has been presented at leading national and international surgical conferences and
our members have been invited guest speakers on a range of speciality topics, including minimally
invasive surgical techniques, cancer treatment and incontinence issues.
ALaCaRT
Investigators: Peter Hewett, Darren Tonkin, Andrew Luck
ALaCaRT is a multicentre, Australian phase III randomised clinical trial to compare the use of
laparascopic-assisted resection to open resection for rectal cancer. This study is sponsored and
coordinated by the Sydney-based Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group, NHMRC Clinical
Trials Centre, and The University of Sydney. The study commenced recruitment in 2011 with the
Queen Elizabeth and Lyell McEwin Hospitals participating as study sites.
Designed as a non-inferiority study, the aim of ALaCaRT is to determine whether laparoscopicassisted
resection is as safe and effective as the current standard open rectal cancer resection.
The study will also assess patient recovery and morbidity, disease-free survival and cancer
recurrence rates, and patient quality of life.
ANZCTR No. ACTRN12609000663257
Funding Source:
2011-2013, NHMRC APP1009973, $932,568
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