Professor Frank Frizelle, Our people, University of Otago, Christchurch, University of Otago, New Zealand

Professor of Surgery
Colorectal Surgeon

MB ChB MMedSc(Otago) FACS FRACS FNZMA FASCRS FRCSI

Frank is Professor of Colorectal Surgery at the University of Otago, Christchurch, Colorectal Surgeon at Christchurch Hospital with the Canterbury District Health Board, and Editor in Chief of the New Zealand Medical Journal.

He trained in general surgery in New Zealand before undertaking post fellowship training in colorectal surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and Scotland.

He returned to New Zealand in 1996 as senior lecturer in surgery at the University of Otago, Christchurch, before being appointed Professor of Colorectal Surgery in 2000, and became Head of the Academic Department of Surgery in January 2006. Frank relinquished this role in 2019 after 13 years as HoD, and became Convenor of the Trainee Intern Surgery module for 6th Year medical students.

He has been Editor in Chief of the New Zealand Medical Journal since 2002.

Frank has published over 400 publications in peer reviewed journals and given more than 250 presentations at national and international meetings.

Research interests

Management and outcomes of patients with colorectal diseases especially colorectal cancer, locally recurrent rectal cancer, anal cancer and diverticular disease
The role of surgery in the management of inflammatory bowel disease
Medical legal and publication issues related to medicine in general and surgery specifically.

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Publications

Glyn Mullaney, T., & Frizelle, F. (2020). Quality of life outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for locally recurrent rectal cancer. Seminars in Colon & Rectal Surgery. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.scrs.2020.100767

Aitchison, A., Hakkaart, C., Whitehead, M., Khan, S., Siddique, S., Ahmed, R., Frizelle, F. A., & Keenan, J. I. (2020). CDH1 gene mutation in early-onset, colorectal signet-ring cell carcinoma. Pathology - Research & Practice, 216, 152912. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2020.152912

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2020). Management strategies for patients with advanced rectal cancer and liver metastases using modified Delphi methodology: Results from the PelvEx Collaborative. Colorectal Disease. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/codi.15007

Chittleborough, T., Gutlic, I., Pearson, J. F., Watson, A., Bhatti, L. A., Buchwald, P., … Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., & Frizelle, F. (2020). Increasing incidence of young-onset colorectal carcinoma: A three-country population analysis. Diseases of the Colon & Rectum. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000001631

O'Grady, M., Clarke, L., Turner, G., Doogue, M., Purcell, R., Pearson, J., & Frizelle, F. (2020). Statin use and risk of acute diverticulitis: A population-based case-control study. Medicine, 99(20), e20264. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000020264

Chapter in Book - Research
Chapter in Book - Other
Journal - Research Article

Chapter in Book - Research

Eglinton, T. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (2019). Laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy for diverticular disease. In M. Parker & W. Hohenberger (Eds.), Lower gastrointestinal tract surgery: (Vol. 1): Laparoscopic procedures. (pp. 285-306). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-05240-9_9

Nguyen, T., & Frizelle, F. A. (2010). Invited commentary. In G. A. Santoro, A. P. Wieczorek & C. I. Bartram (Eds.), Pelvic floor disorders: Imaging and multidisciplinary approach to management. (pp. 679-684). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-88-470-1542-5_89

Eglinton, T. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (2010). Investigation and management of complications after coloproctological surgery. In G. A. Santoro, A. P. Wieczorek & C. I. Bartram (Eds.), Pelvic floor disorders: Imaging and multidisciplinary approach to management. (pp. 713-723). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-88-470-1542-5_93

Nyam, D. N., Frizelle, F. A., & Pemberton, J. H. (1998). Physiologic derangements of the rectum and anus. In T. A. Miller (Ed.), Modern Surgical Care. Physiologic Foundations and Clinical Applications, 2nd Edition. (pp. 702-727). St Louis, Missouri: Quality Medical Publishing.

Wolff, B. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (1998). Recurrent Diverticulitis Following Resection. In J. P. Welch, J. Cohen, W. Sardella & P. Vignati (Eds.), Diverticular Disease, Management of the Difficult Surgical Case, 1st edition. (pp. 343-351). Williams and Wilkins.

Frizelle, F. A., & Nelson, H. (1997). Psychological Factors of IBD including Sexual Function. In R. N. Allen, M. R. B. Keighley, J. Alexander-Williams, V. W. Fazio, S. Hanauer & J. M. Rhodes (Eds.), Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 3rd edition. (pp. 943-947). Churchill-Livingston.

Frizelle, F. A., & Nelson, H. (1995). Recurrent colon cancer. In S. D. Wexner & A. M. Vernava (Eds.), Clinical Decision Making in Colorectal Surgery. (pp. 389-395). New York: Igaku-Shoin.

Bower, T. C., Wolff, B. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (1995). Ischaemic cokitor. In Current Therapy. 5th edn. (pp. 182-186). St Louis: Mosby.

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Chapter in Book - Other

Frizelle, F. (2013). Surgery. In P. Joyce, G. Nicholls, K. Thomas & T. Wilkinson (Eds.), The Christchurch experience: 40 years of research and teaching. (pp. 60-66). Christchurch, New Zealand: University of Otago.

Frizelle, F., & Barclay, M. (2008). Constipation in adults. In C. Young (Ed.), Clinical evidence handbook: The international source of the best available evidence for effective health care. (pp. 167). UK: BMJ: Evidence Centre.

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Journal - Research Article

Peacock, O., Waters, P. S., Kong, J. C., Warrier, S. K., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., … Frizelle, F. A., & McCormick, J. J. (2020). Complications after extended radical resections for locally advanced and recurrent pelvic malignancies: A 25-year experience. Annals of Surgical Oncology, 27, 409-414. doi: 10.1245/s10434-019-07816-8

Smith, B. K., Roberts, R. H., & Frizelle, F. A. (2020). O₂ no longer the Go₂: A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the effects of giving perioperative oxygen therapy of 30% FiO₂ to 80% FiO₂ on surgical site infection and mortality. World Journal of Surgery, 44, 69-77. doi: 10.1007/s00268-019-05224-3

Hawkins, A. T., Wise, P. E., Chan, T., Lee, J. T., Glyn Mullaney, T., Wood, V., Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F., … Lightner, A. L. (2020). Diverticulitis: An update from the age old paradigm. Current Problems in Surgery. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.cpsurg.2020.100862

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F., & Wakeman, C. (2020). Simultaneous pelvic exenteration and liver resection for primary rectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases: Results from the PelvEx Collaborative. Colorectal Disease. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/codi.15064

Richards, S. J. G., Jerram, P. M., Brett, C., Falloon, M., & Frizelle, F. A. (2020). The association between low pre-operative step count and adverse post-operative outcomes in older patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Perioperative Medicine, 9, 20. doi: 10.1186/s13741-020-00150-8

Richards, S. J. G., Senadeera, S. C., & Frizelle, F. A. (2020). Sarcopenia, as assessed by psoas cross-sectional area, is predictive of adverse postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 63, 807-815. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000001633

Turner, G. A., O'Grady, M., Frizelle, F. A., Eglinton, T. W., & Sharma, P. V. (2020). Influence of obesity on the risk of recurrent acute diverticulitis. ANZ Journal of Surgery. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ans.15784

Taylor, W. S., Pearson, J., Miller, A., Schmeier, S., Frizelle, F. A., & Purcell, R. V. (2020). MinION sequencing of colorectal cancer tumour microbiomes: A comparison with amplicon-based and RNA-sequencing. PLoS ONE, 15(5), e0233170. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233170

Proctor, M. J., Westwood, D. A., Donahoe, S., Chauhan, A., Lynch, A. C., Heriot, A. G., … Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. J. (2020). Morbidity associated with the immediate vertical rectus abdominus myocutaneous (VRAM) flap reconstruction after radical pelvic surgery. Colorectal Disease, 22(5), 562-568. doi: 10.1111/codi.14909

Peacock, O., Waters, P. S., Kong, J. C., Warrier, S. K., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., … Frizelle, F. A., & McCormick, J. J. (2020). Complications and 5-year survival after radical resections which include urological organs for locally advanced and recurrent pelvic malignancies: Analysis of 646 consecutive cases. Techniques in Coloproctology, 24(2), 181-190. doi: 10.1007/s10151-019-02141-4

Lau, Y. C., Jongerius, K., Wakeman, C., Heriot, A. G., Solomon, M. J., Sagar, P. M., … Frizelle, F. A. (2019). Influence of the level of sacrectomy on survival in patients with locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer. British Journal of Surgery, 106, 484-490. doi: 10.1002/bjs.11048

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2019). Palliative pelvic exenteration: A systematic review of patient-centered outcomes. European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 45(10), 1787-1795. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2019.06.011

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2019). Changing outcomes following pelvic exenteration for locally advanced and recurrent rectal cancer. BJS Open, 3(4), 516-520. doi: 10.1002/bjs5.50153

Waters, P. S., Peacock, O., Warrier, S. K., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., Lynch, A. C., Frizelle, F. A., … McCormick, J. (2019). Evolution of pelvic exenteration surgery: Resectional trends and survival outcomes over three decades. European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 45(12), 2325-2333. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2019.07.015

Keenan, J., Aitchison, A., Leaman, J., Pearson, J., & Frizelle, F. (2019). Faecal biomarkers do not always identify pre-cancerous lesions in patients who present in primary care with bowel symptoms. New Zealand Medical Journal, 132(1501), 48-56. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2019). Pelvic exenteration for advanced nonrectal pelvic malignancy. Annals of Surgery, 270(5), 899-905. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000003533

Peacock, O., Waters, P. S., Bressel, M., Lynch, A. C., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., … Frizelle, F. A., & Heriot, A. G. (2019). Prognostic factors and patterns of failure after surgery for T4 rectal cancer in the beyond total mesorectal excision era. British Journal of Surgery, 106(12), 1685-1696. doi: 10.1002/bjs.11242

Purcell, R. V., Schmeier, S., Lau, Y. C., Pearson, J. F., & Frizelle, F. A. (2019). Molecular subtyping improves prognostication of Stage 2 colorectal cancer. BMC Cancer, 19(1), 1155. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6327-4

Richards, S. J. G., D'Souza, J., Pascoe, R., Falloon, M., & Frizelle, F. A. (2019). Prevalence of frailty in a tertiary hospital: A point prevalence observational study. PLoS ONE, 14(7), e0219083. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219083

Al-Busaidi, I. S., Bailey, T., Dobbs, B., Eglinton, T. W., Wakeman, C. J., & Frizelle, F. A. (2019). Complete resection of colorectal cancer with ovarian metastases combined with chemotherapy is associated with improved survival. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 89, 1091-1096. doi: 10.1111/ans.14930

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2019). Surgical and survival outcomes following pelvic exenteration for locally advanced primary rectal cancer: Results from an international collaboration. Annals of Surgery, 269(2), 315-321. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002528

Senadeera, S. C., Vun, S. V., Butterfield, N., Eglinton, T., & Frizelle, F. A. (2018). Role of super-selective embolization in lower gastrointestinal bleeding. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 88(9), E644-E648. doi: 10.1111/ans.14441

van Rij, A., Thomas, J., McKenzie, R., Diong, J., Frizelle, F., Snelling, J., & Anderson, L. (2018). Incidental findings during a surgical procedure: Patient and public perspectives. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1469), 20-31. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Buchwald, P., Hall, C., Davidson, C., Dixon, L., Dobbs, B., Robinson, B., & Frizelle, F. (2018). Improved survival for rectal cancer compared to colon cancer: The four cohort study. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 88(3), E114-E117. doi: 10.1111/ans.13730

Arnold, E. P., Losco, G., English, S., Frizelle, F., & Anthony, A. (2018). Symptoms of bowel dysfunction and their management after spinal cord injury in a New Zealand centre. New Zealand Medical Journal, 131(1475), 21-26. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Richards, S. J. G., Frizelle, F. A., Geddes, J. A., Eglinton, T. W., & Hampton, M. B. (2018). Frailty in surgical patients. International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 33(12), 1657-1666. doi: 10.1007/s00384-018-3163-y

Clarke, L., Abbott, H., Sharma, P., Eglinton, T. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (2018). Impact of restenting for recurrent colonic obstruction due to tumour ingrowth. BJS Open, 1(6), 202-206. doi: 10.1002/bjs5.34

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2018). Factors affecting outcomes following pelvic exenteration for locally recurrent rectal cancer. British Journal of Surgery, 105(6), 650-657. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10734

PelvEx Collaborative, including Eglinton, T., Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. (2018). Minimally invasive surgery techniques in pelvic exenteration: A systematic and meta-analysis review. Surgical Endoscopy, 32, 4707-4715. doi: 10.1007/s00464-018-6299-5

McCombie, A. M., Frizelle, F., Bagshaw, P. F., Frampton, C. M., Hewett, P. J., McMurrick, P. J., … on behalf of the ALCCaS Trial group. (2018). The ALCCaS Trial: A randomized controlled trial comparing quality of life following laparoscopic versus open colectomy for colon cancer. Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, 61(10), 1156-1162. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000001165

Pal, A., Lal, R., & Frizelle, F. (2018). Aviation-based teamwork skills work for surgeons: Time for an 'aviation bundle'? ANZ Journal of Surgery, 88(12), 1231-1235. doi: 10.1111/ans.14892

Purcell, R. V., Visnovska, M., Biggs, P. J., Schmeier, S., & Frizelle, F. A. (2017). Distinct gut microbiome patterns associate with consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer. Scientific Reports, 7, 11590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-11237-6

Alamri, Y., Moon, D., Ah Yen, D., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., & Frizelle, F. (2017). Ten-year experience of splenic trauma in New Zealand: The rise of non-operative management. New Zealand Medical Journal, 130(1463), 11-18. Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal

Rayen, J., Currie, T., Gearry, R. B., Frizelle, F., & Eglinton, T. (2017). The long-term outcome of anti-TNF alpha therapy in perianal Crohn's disease. Techniques in Coloproctology, 21(2), 119-124. doi: 10.1007/s10151-016-1578-4

Cross, A. J., Buchwald, P. L., Frizelle, F. A., & Eglinton, T. W. (2017). Meta-analysis of prophylactic mesh to prevent parastomal hernia. British Journal of Surgery, 104(3), 179-186. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10402

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