What is the overall objective of IMPACT I?

The overall objective of IMPACT I is to provide patient-level data at an MDT level to identify decision-making and treatment strategies in ALL patients with Locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer in the UK,  irrespective of treatment strategy and to link this to routinely collected clinical datasets to measure short and long term clinical and cancer outcomes.

Why is this research necessary?

IMPACT I research will provide our researchers with transparent and robust data regarding current clinical services available for patients with Locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer in the UK. It will also allow our researchers to identify regional and national patterns of decision-making in this complex cohort of patients.

This is necessary to identify whether local units are complying with current guidance on the management of patients with Locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer in the UK. The results generated from IMPACT I will help our researchers build standardised regional and national referral strategies for patients, in a bid to increase the number of patients referred to specialist centres and provided with appropriate treatment, with an end aim to improve patient-reported, clinical and oncological outcomes.