CITRuS study sees national expansion | News

Our Trust’s CITRuS research study, which seeks to improve the way symptoms of bowel cancer treatments are reported and communicated, has expanded to a number of new sites across the UK.

The study is run and managed by Royal Surrey’s Research, Development & Innovation department, but teams from four other hospitals are now supporting the project, with more expected to join soon.

The George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton was the first external site to enrol in the study, and the second site to start recruiting patients after the Royal Surrey. Macclesfield District Hospital, Ipswich Hospital and Hillingdon Hospital have also joined, with a further 24 sites currently being set-up.

A total of 41 patients have been recruited to the CITRuS trial to-date, 39 of them by Royal Surrey.

CITRuS was opened after it was noted that patient-reported symptoms often differ from doctor-documented symptoms, leading to potential inaccuracies in the way doctors describe the effects of bowel cancer treatment to patients.

The study is investigating how online surveys could be used to collect accurate and regularly updated information on patients’ symptoms before and after treatment.

The Chief Investigator is Dr Alex Stewart, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Trust. She said: “We are very happy to see more hospitals getting involved in the CITRuS study. The motivation behind our study is to make sure patient experience is accurately recorded, and in a trial like this it is very important to reach as wide a range of patients as possible. With four other sites now open, covering a wide geographical range, we are ensuring that a diverse range of patient voices are being heard.”

The study is being jointly funded by the local charities BRIGHT and GUTS and supported by Royal Surrey Hospital.