Research funded by the Planets Cancer Charity published in the journal Cancers showed that patients undergoing high-complexity pelvic exenteration (PE) surgery can expect similar survival outcomes as those with less advanced tumours.
The study reviewed 319 cases of PE and found that five-year survival rates remained around 71%, with the median survival period for patients undergoing high-complexity PE being 9.8 years compared with 10.5 years for conventional PE.
About 4,000 patients in the UK require treatment for advanced pelvic cancers every year but PE is often ruled out due to potential damage to bones and major blood vessels.
Charles West, a colorectal surgery research fellow at the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, who led the research, said: “This study challenges the idea that more extensive tumours are untreatable.
“It shows that, with the right surgical expertise, even the most complex cases can have similar survival rates and quality of life outcomes to those with less advanced disease.
