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    3 Committee considerations

    The evidence

    3.1 NICE did a rapid review of the published literature on the efficacy and safety of this procedure. This comprised a comprehensive literature search and detailed review of the evidence from 8 sources, which was discussed by the committee. The evidence included 3 systematic reviews, 2 registry analyses, 1 propensity score weighted study, 1 retrospective case series, and 1 retrospective cohort study. It is presented in the summary of key evidence section in the interventional procedures overview. Other relevant literature is in the appendix of the overview.

    3.2 The professional experts and the committee considered the key efficacy outcomes to be: overall survival, recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival, improvement in quality of life, and need for subsequent intervention.

    3.3 The professional experts and the committee considered the key safety outcomes to be: pain, bleeding, rectal damage, incontinence and loss of sexual function.

    3.4 Three hundred and seven commentaries from people who have had this procedure were discussed by the committee. The committee also discussed 2 submissions from patient organisations.

    Committee comments

    3.5 There is more than 1 device available for this procedure and the technology is evolving.

    Tom Clutton-Brock
    Chair, interventional procedures advisory committee
    October 2022

    ISBN: