What issue does this study address?
Polyps are small lumps in the bowel. If these polyps are left untreated, they can lead to a bowel cancer/tumour. Fortunately, many are benign (not a cancer) and are successfully removed at colonoscopy. Over 50% of these patients will go on to have a check-up three years later to make sure no further polyps appear.
There are risk factors for developing polyps, one of which is being overweight.
What are the aims and how could this work help people with bowel disease?
The research team wants to develop a study where we give patients weight loss medications to see if we can reduce their weight and therefore, the chance of polyps recurring. They would include patients who had polyp/s and are overweight (BMI at least 25). They want to see if their weight changes with the medications, and as a result, their polyps do not return when they attend for their follow-up colonoscopy at 3 years.
To design this difficult study, the team needs to know what patients think about it. By performing a focus
group/s, they want to hear what they think about the design of the study, taking the medications, alternative strategies to weight loss (e.g. diet and exercise) and other aspects to ensure they can deliver this study.
Each patient will be contacted through patient networks and asked to attend face-to-face or online for two to four hours. Their opinions will be sought and recorded anonymously.
The research team
This research is led by Professor Susan Moug at Golden Jubilee University National Hospital.