The General Surgery research team, based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), have recruited hundreds of patients to clinical trials thanks to collaborations with a number of clinical specialties.

The partnerships with liver, upper gastrointestinal, sarcoma and colorectal teams has led to more than 750 patients being recruited, with the pathways established also likely to lead to strong recruitment across a number of ongoing and upcoming trials.

Professor Thomas Pinkney, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, said: “By working with other specialities, many more patients than before have been given the opportunity to take part in trials that could benefit them and other patients in the future.

“Involving different teams can make a real difference in streamlining the trial recruitment process, and we are always interested in working with other teams.”

The collaboration with the liver team has also led to strong recruitment for the ROSSINI2 trial, which is comparing three techniques aimed at reducing the rate of post-surgery infections for patients having abdominal surgery.  

“Our ongoing collaboration with these teams is already proving very beneficial to recruitment into ROSSINI2, and we are always looking to form connections and partnerships with other specialties,” added Thomas.

In total, 108 patients have taken part in trials at QEHB thanks to the collaboration between the liver and general surgery teams, with almost 70 patients taking part in the Eus trial, which is comparing a number of treatment options for patients with pancreatic cancer.

The collaborations, which began in 2017, shows how hundreds of patients can benefit from services and specialties working together to allow more patients to take part in trials.

Figures recently published by the National Institute for Health Research showed that across University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (the Trust which runs QEHB), more than 16,000 new participants were recruited across 434 studies.

For more information about the General Surgery team and their collaborative work, please contact:

Email: GsResearch@uhb.nhs.uk.