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.
Publications
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
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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2020.152912
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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000001633
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
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, 1155. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6327-4
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.
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.
Journal - Research Article
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
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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000001633
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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2020.152912
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, 1155. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6327-4
Smith, B. K., Roberts, R. H., & Frizelle, F. A. (2019). 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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s00268-019-05224-3
Proctor, M. J., Westwood, D. A., Donahoe, S., Chauhan, A., Lynch, A. C., Heriot, A. G., … Frizelle, F. A., & Wakeman, C. J. (2019). Morbidity associated with the immediate vertical rectus abdominus myocutaneous (VRAM) flap reconstruction after radical pelvic surgery. Colorectal Disease. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/codi.14909
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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/bjs.11048
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
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
The PelvEx Collaborators, 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
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
Al-Busaidi, I. S., Bailey, T., Dobbs, B., Eglinton, T. W., Wakeman, C. J., & Frizelle, F. A. (2018). Complete resection of colorectal cancer with ovarian metastases combined with chemotherapy is associated with improved survival. ANZ Journal of Surgery. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ans.14930
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
Gandhi, J., Davidson, C., Hall, C., Pearson, J., Eglinton, T., Wakeman, C., & Frizelle, F. (2017). Population-based study demonstrating an increase in colorectal cancer in young patients. British Journal of Surgery, 104(8), 1063-1068. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10518
Fischer, J., Dobbs, B., Dixon, L., Eglinton, T. W., Wakeman, C. J., Frizelle, F. A., on behalf of the New Zealand Malignant Polyp Study (NZ MAPS) Group, including Thompson-Fawcett, M. (2017). Management of malignant colorectal polyps in New Zealand. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 87(5), 350-355. doi: 10.1111/ans.13502
Fernando, C., Frizelle, F., Wakeman, C., Frampton, C., & Robinson, B. (2017). Colorectal multidisciplinary meeting audit to determine patient benefit. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 87(11), E173-E177. doi: 10.1111/ans.13366
Purcell, R. V., Pearson, J., Aitchison, A., Dixon, L., Frizelle, F. A., & Keenan, J. I. (2017). Colonization with enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis is associated with early-stage colorectal neoplasia. PLoS ONE, 12(2), e0171602. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171602
Marshall, J. R., Buchwald, P. L., Gandhi, J., Schultz, J. K., Hider, P. N., Frizelle, F. A., & Eglinton, T. W. (2017). Laparoscopic lavage in the management of Hinchey grade III diverticulitis: A systematic review. Annals of Surgery, 265(4), 670-676. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000002005
Buchwald, P., Dixon, L., Wakeman, C. J., Eglinton, T. W., & Frizelle, F. A. (2017). Hinchey I and II diverticular abscesses: Long-term outcome of conservative treatment. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 87(12), 1011-1014. doi: 10.1111/ans.13501
Purcell, R. V., Pearson, J., Frizelle, F. A., & Keenan, J. I. (2016). Comparison of standard, quantitative and digital PCR in the detection of enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis. Scientific Reports, 6, 34554. doi: 10.1038/srep34554
Lee, Y., McCombie, A., Gearry, R., Frizelle, F. A., Vanamala, R., Leong, R. W., & Eglinton, T. (2016). Disability in restorative proctocolectomy recipients measured using the inflammatory bowel disease disability index. Journal of Crohn's & Colitis, 10(12), 1378-1384. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjw114
Hopper, L., Eglinton, T. W., Wakeman, C., Dobbs, B. R., Dixon, L., & Frizelle, F. A. (2016). Progress in the management of retrorectal tumours. Colorectal Disease, 18(4), 410-417. doi: 10.1111/codi.13117
Keenan, J. I., Aitchison, A., Purcell, R. V., Greenlees, R., Pearson, J. F., & Frizelle, F. A. (2016). Screening for enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis in stool samples. Anaerobe, 40, 50-53. doi: 10.1016/j.anaerobe.2016.05.004
Aitchison, A., Frizelle, F. A., & Keenan, J. I. (2016). PCR detection of the Bacteroides fragilis enterotoxin gene relies on robust primer design. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 54(1), 239-240. doi: 10.1128/jcm.02785-15
McCombie, A., Lee, Y., Vanamala, R., Gearry, R., Frizelle, F., Mckay, E., Williman, J., & Eglinton, T. (2016). Early postoperative complications have long-term impact on quality of life after restorative proctocolectomy. Medicine, 95(27), e3966. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000003966
Wakeman, C., Keenan, J., Eteuati, J., Hollington, P., Eglinton, T., & Frizelle, F. (2016). Chemoprevention of colorectal neoplasia. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 87(12), E228-E232. doi: 10.1111/ans.13392
Buchwald, P., Diesing, L., Dixon, L., Wakeman, C., Eglinton, T., Dobbs, B., & Frizelle, F. (2016). Cohort study of mesenteric panniculitis and its relationship to malignancy. British Journal of Surgery, 103(12), 1727-1730. doi: 10.1002/bjs.10229
Siu, J., Lim, M., Fischer, J., Dobbs, B., Wakeman, C., Ing, A., & Frizelle, F. (2016). Ten-year review of gastrointestinal stromal tumours at a tertiary referral hospital in New Zealand. ANZ Journal of Surgery, 86(3), 162-166. doi: 10.1111/ans.12429
Cross, A. J., McCormick, J. J., Griffin, N., Dixon, L., Dobbs, B., & Frizelle, F. A. (2016). Malignancy and mesenteric panniculitis. Colorectal Disease, 18(4), 372-377. doi: 10.1111/codi.13154
Alamri, Y., Buchwald, P., Dixon, L., Dobbs, B., Eglinton, T., McCormick, J., Wakeman, C., & Frizelle, F. A. (2016). Salvage surgery in patients with recurrent or residual squamous cell carcinoma of the anus. European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 42(11), 1687-1692. doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2016.05.006
Taylor, J., Dixon, L., Pascoe, R., Dobbs, B., Kennedy, R., & Frizelle, F. (2016). Elective surgical outcomes of patients in Christchurch, New Zealand. New Zealand Medical Journal, 129(1447), 64-71. Retrieved from http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
