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RAMBO: Research Assessment Outcome Measures for Malignant Bowel Obstruction

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Project Description

Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common problem faced by patients with advanced cancer of the ovaries and bowel. It occurs when the cancer causes a blockage or blockages in the intestines. The symptoms are very distressing for patients and their families with vomiting which can be frequent, large amounts and may contain faeces. In addition, they feel sick and bloated, have painful abdominal cramps and are constipated. MBO stops patients from keeping food or water down and can make it hard for the person to be cared for at home. An operation is usually not possible and treatment aims to ease symptoms using injectable medicines and/or tubes to drain the fluid built up in the stomach.

There have been some studies to find the best way to manage MBO, but they have used different measurements. This makes it impossible to compare studies and agree on the best way to treat MBO. Also, we have no idea if the measures we use are important to the patient and their families or whether they just the ones that researchers or doctors or nurses think are important.

As an urgent first step, we want to agree a standard way of measuring MBO symptoms so treatments can be tested consistently in hospitals, hospices and in patients’ homes immediately and in clinical research studies. To do this we shall start with what we already know by looking at the published research. We shall then ask patients and carers what is most important to them. Finally, we shall arrange meetings with researchers, clinicians and patient and family representatives to agree together on what measures should be used.

We shall use standard, internationally agreed techniques and have registered this proposal with the COMET group (who oversees such work) as a mark of quality.

Project Acronym RAMBO
Status Project Complete
Value £85,791.00
Project Dates Jul 1, 2019 - Nov 30, 2021
Partner Organisations Dove House Hospice
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

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