Surgeon’s skill has ‘mind blowing’ impact on colon cancer outcomes: study
US findings reveal the effects of a skillful surgeon on survival post-laparoscopic right hemicolectomy is huge
The technical skills of the surgeon have a considerable impact on patient outcomes followings colon cancer surgery, according to a study.
Lead author Dr Karl Bilimoria of Northwestern Medicine in the US says the findings may seem obvious, but it is the first time a surgeon’s technical skill has been demonstrated to result in better long-term cancer survival.
“This is pretty mind blowing. The long-term effect is huge. It may seem common sense in some ways, but we didn’t realise the magnitude of the effect,” Dr Bilimoria said in a news release.
The study team recruited 15 surgeons from the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative in 2016 to participate in a video-based program to assess surgeons’ technical skills.
