Hot from COSA – patients not always receiving the best treatment

National audit of newly diagnosed patients shows some patients are not receiving optimal treatment for colorectal cancers.

“The majority of bowel cancer patients are treated by general surgeons with limited training and experience in the disease and, as a result, have almost double the chance of ending up with a permanent colostomy” according to the results of research presented at the scientific meeting of Clinical Oncological Society of Australia.

Allan Spigelman, author of this report said the results pointed to flaws in patterns of referral, meaning that up to two-thirds of colorectal cancer patients were treated by a surgeon who performed such an operation less than once a week.

The audit found that in the treatment of newly diagnosed patients, practice often falls short of official recommendations and that patients in country areas are most likely to miss out on the best treatments.

Spigelman also found that as well as performing fewer permanent colostomies, specialist surgeons were more likely to create colonic pouches and restore the continuity of the bowel, improving the patients’ quality of life after surgery. Specialist surgeons were also more likely to refer rectal cancer patients for radiation therapy before surgery, known to make the treatment more effective.

General surgeons were more likely to refer people for chemotherapy, even if it was unnecessary in early-stage patients.

(Source: Omnus Oncology)