Personalized Care Pathways for Bowel Symptoms in Rectal Cancer Patients_contributing Factors (Treatable)

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd and 3rd most common cancer in respectively women and men, of which about 40% is located in the rectum. The gold standard treatment for rectal cancer (RC) is a low anterior resection combined with chemoradiotherapy. However, this treatment negatively affects various aspects of bowel function and patients' quality of life. These bowel symptoms often remain prevalent, even 12 months after RC treatment. The aim of this study is to identify the factors contributing to persistent bowel symptoms and their long-term impact on quality of life following treatment for rectal cancer, assessed 12 months after surgery or stoma closure in surgically treated patients, and 12 months after completion of neoadjuvant therapy in patients managed with active surveillance/watch-and-wait. These insights are crucial for developing an effective care approach, as they help determine when specific evaluations should be conducted and which treatments should be applied at different stages.

NCT Number	NCT06914245
Lead Sponsor	KU Leuven Collaborators: AZ Delta, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Ziekenhuis aan de Stroom, AZ Oostende, General Hospital Groeninge, Regionaal Ziekenhuis Heilig Hart Tienen, Meander MC, Amersfoort, the Netherlands, AZORG, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Conditions	Rectal Cancer, LARS - Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, Active Surveillance
Enrollment	150 participants
Start Date	2025-04-28
Primary Completion	2028-12 (estimated)
Study Completion	2028-12 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-23