Abstract

Prior to surgery for colorectal cancer 66% of patients with colorectal cancer lose weight. The aim of this fellowship is to undertake some exploratory work to investigate why these patients lose weight and if a simple intervention can help with nutritional status. The project then develops to evaluate a nutritional intervention in the care pathway for these patients.  This project is in three phases; the first is an exploratory project investigating patients' views of nutritional issues in the perioperative period. The second phase is also exploratory undertaking a review of the literature, mapping the patient’s journey and also validating a suitable outcome measure. The final phase is a feasibility study of a randomised controlled trial investigating a nutritional intervention in the patient’s journey.