Host characteristics & cardiorespiratory fitness in colorectal cancer

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Defining the relationship between host characteristics and cardiorespiratory fitness in patients undergoing colorectal cancer resection

• IRAS ID

  275943

• Contact name

  John Taylor (Ian) Jenkins

• Contact email

  i.jenkins@nhs.net

• Sponsor organisation

  London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  The presence of adverse patient characteristics is an important predictor of outcome in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). The role of pre-operative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in identifying patients at high risk of complications following surgery has been well-defined, with validated thresholds for use in clinical practice now established. Body composition analysis (BCA) which assesses the quantity and quality of skeletal muscle and the quantity of fat on CT scans has also been proposed as a predictor of postoperative complications and survival following CRC resection. The interplay between static measures such as BCA and dynamic assessments such as CPET has yet to be fully evaluated.

  Recent work suggests markers of cardiovascular risk such as the degree of calcification within major blood vessels visible on CT could also hold predictive value with regards short-term outcome following surgery. We hypothesise that the presence of significant calcification of the aorta may reflect a lack of cardiovascular reserve which limits the patient’s tolerance of surgical stress and predisposes to postoperative complications. We therefore wish to assess:

  1) the relationship between the burden of aortic calcification (AC) visible on CT and cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by preoperative CPET
  2) the relationship between adverse body composition features (myopenia (reduced muscle mass), myosteatosis (reduced muscle quality), visceral (within the abdomen) and subcutaneous (beneath the skin) fat and cardiorespiratory fitness

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  20/LO/0370

• Date of REC Opinion

  16 Mar 2020

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion