Quality of Life After Bladder Cancer (Q-ABC). V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Quality of Life After Bladder Cancer (Q-ABC): A comparison of patient related outcomes following radical surgery and radiotherapy
IRAS ID
246850
Contact name
Scott Harfield
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Patients with Bladder Cancer may be offered a choice between an operation to remove the bladder or radiotherapy (Xray) treatment, usually with chemotherapy. The chances of curing the cancer are equivalent. However, there is not much information available about how people's day to day lives are affected following these treatments and so it can be difficult for patients and medical teams to make decisions and recommendations. In addition we know that sometimes there are unconscious preferences of doctors for one or the other treatment and this is reflected in wide variation in relative rates of operations and radiotherapy in different hospitals.
This study will use questionnaires to collect information about symptoms and quality of life at intervals over the two years after patients complete their treatment and be able to compare and describe the changes experienced by the two groups of patients (surgery and radiotherapy). We will also ask a smaller number of participants to complete additional questionnaires in the first year relating to the costs associated with their cancer and treatment and use this, in combination with the treatment costs obtained from hospitals, to compare the costs to society as a whole of the two treatments.The study will take place at 25-35 hospitals across the UK although the later questionnaires will be posted to participants.
The study has been funded by both charities (Fight Bladder Cancer & The Sussex Cancer Fund) and commercial companies (Roche Pharmaceuticals & Varian Medical Systems). The commercial companies have had no input to the design of the study.
REC name
London - Surrey Borders Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1516
Date of REC Opinion
25 Sep 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion