New LARS Score
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Translation of the International Consensus Definition of LARS into a bowel dysfunction severity scoring tool
IRAS ID
313617
Contact name
Julie Cornish
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 28 days
Research summary
Surgical removal of the rectum is called Low Anterior Resection and is a common treatment for bowel cancer. However, approximately 60% of patients that undergo the surgery will experience significant bowel problems in the 12 months following surgery. Of these, it's estimated that 40% will continue to experience bowel problems in the long-term. These problems vary from person-to-person and include having to rush to the toilet, having accidents or leakage into the underwear or difficulty fully emptying the bowels. This condition is called Low Anterior Resection Syndrome, or ‘LARS’ for short.
There was no definition of LARS until recently, when an international group of researchers came together along with patient representatives to develop the International Consensus Criteria for LARS. This definition now needs to be translated into a scoring system, that will allow the measurement the severity of an individual's LARS symptoms. Through this tool, it will be possible to efficiently and accurately determine how prevalent LARS really is, but also investigate how well different treatments for LARS work.
The aim of this study is to transform the definition into a LARS scoring tool, with patient's at the centre of it's design and use. We will conduct focus-groups with people who have lived-experience of bowel cancer, and will have had experience of being asked similar questions in the past.REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
22/WA/0213
Date of REC Opinion
12 Jul 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion