FP4.6 - A Re-audit on the completion of pathology request forms following Colorectal Cancer Resection

Abstract Aim Good Histopathology is key to accurate staging for Colorectal cancer. The Royal College of Pathologists have outlined a number of important parameters to detail on the pathology request form following colorectal cancer resection surgery including confirmation of specimen, diagram, approach, dissection plane, part of BCSP, biopsy details, pre-operative chemoradiotherapy, history of IBD/familial cancer and pre-op staging. The aim of this re-audit was to detect any improvement in our adherence to these guidelines in comparison with our 2019 audit. Method The forms for all colorectal cancer resections performed from 2019-2023 were interrogated for the various parameters using pathology software DART. Result Of 1615 cases, 320 were included. 30% mentioned the approach versus 78% in the previous audit. Diagrams were completed in 36% compared to 44% previously. Conversely, only 4.5% in the previous audit had information on preoperative therapy, as compared to the current 20%. There were marginal improvements in information on screening, familial cancer and IBD. In addition, the degree of completion showed significant difference in some parameters in the case of consultants who emphasized on correct completion of forms (e.g. 97% included type of surgery, 91% had diagrams). Conclusion It is important to complete the Colorectal cancer resection pathology forms according to recommended standards to enable the pathologist to provide accurate tumour staging and thus guide appropriate management. Disappointingly, we did not find significant improvement in our adherence to the recommended standards as compared to our previous audit. We therefore need to focus on wider scale education and ensure implementation of newly designed forms with active consultant involvement and a re-audit.