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Modern Neoadjuvant Therapy Insights for Pancreatic Cancer

Histopathologic response predicts better survival in pancreatic cancer patients despite imaging showing stable or progressive disease.

  • 89% of patients completed neoadjuvant therapy; 73% underwent resection.
  • Radiographic response was low: 27% had tumor regression, while 66% had stable disease.
  • 83% achieved significant serum CA 19-9 reduction, and 74% showed histopathologic response after resection, including 8% with complete response.

Histopathologic outcomes are vital for predicting long-term survival and should inform surgical decision-making.

Journal Article by McClelland PH, Satyadi MA (…) Ahmad SA et 10 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. The Author(s).

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Non-technical Errors Contribute to 68% of Surgical Deaths

Non-technical errors during emergency general surgery significantly impact patient mortality, revealing critical areas for improvement.

  • Non-technical errors were found in 67.9% of 1,164 surgical deaths, totaling 1,053 unique mistakes.
  • Situational awareness errors were most common (49.3%), followed by decision-making errors (40.9%).

Improving non-technical skills should target behaviors both in and outside the operating room.

  • Nearly 90% of errors occurred outside the theatre, emphasizing the need for comprehensive training across surgical and non-surgical teams.

Journal Article by Ey JD, Vo A (…) Maddern GJ et 7 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Global Consensus on Robotic Training for GI Surgery

An international consensus has established a structured training curriculum for robotic surgery, addressing critical gaps for GI surgical trainees.

  • 82 out of 106 training items reached consensus across diverse stakeholders, ensuring comprehensive knowledge and skills.
  • This curriculum covers essential areas: bedside assistance, console operation, performance assessment, and certification standards.

Standardized training enhances patient safety and outcomes, guiding surgical leaders in educational practices.

Journal Article by Fadel MG, Walshaw J (…) Kontovounisios C et 23 al. in Br J Surg

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd, Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of United European Gastroenterology (UEG), and Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature on behalf of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES).

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Trauma Center Level Impacts Mortality in Shock Patients

Trauma outcomes differ significantly based on treatment at level I versus level II centers, impacting patient selection for serious injuries.

  • Analyzing 363,470 trauma patients, level I centers had a higher unadjusted mortality (8.2%) compared to level II (6.9%), but adjusted outcomes showed no overall difference.
  • Level I centers had lower adjusted mortality for shock patients and those with blunt multisystem trauma.
  • Surgeons should consider rapid transfer protocols for physiologically unstable blunt trauma patients to optimize survival chances.

Journal Article by McLaughlin CJ, Song J (…) Kaufman EJ et 6 al. in J Am Coll Surg

Copyright © 2026 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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New Score Improves Safe Discharge in GI Bleeding Patients

Risk scores outperform clinical judgment for safe discharge in lower gastrointestinal bleeding—better patient selection can enhance outcomes.

  • The Oakland score showed the highest accuracy (AUC 0.77) for predicting safe discharge, compared to clinical judgment (AUC 0.76).
  • Overall, 76.7% of patients achieved safe discharge within 28 days; however, 41 needed transfusions, 24 required endoscopic intervention, and 5 died.

Consider incorporating the Oakland score into practice to aid discharge decisions and reduce readmissions.

  • Specificity for the Oakland score reached 94.8%, outperforming other scores in preventing adverse events.

Journal Article by Sey M, von Renteln D (…) Jairath V et 12 al. in Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol

Copyright © 2026 American Gastroenterological Association Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Organ Preservation in Rectal Cancer: Promising Results

Organ preservation methods, like watch and wait, show high feasibility and safety in rectal cancer treatment.

  • 26% of patients opted for organ preservation, predominantly through watch and wait (78%).
  • 2-year overall survival rates exceeded 95% across all treatment strategies.
  • No significant differences in oncologic outcomes between watch and wait and local excision were observed.

Surgeons can consider these approaches for nonmetastatic rectal cancer, as they support personalized treatment plans while maintaining strong survival metrics.

Observational Study by Noiret B, Manceau G (…) Denost Q et 27 al. in Dis Colon Rectum

Copyright © The ASCRS 2026.

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Declining IVC filter use in trauma patients raises flags

IVC filter placement in trauma patients is declining but shows wide variation among hospitals, affecting patient outcomes.

  • Among 2.3 million trauma patients, only 0.81% had IVC filters placed, down from 1.15% in 2017 to 0.59% in 2024 (p<0.001).
  • 22.5% of centers had insertion rates ≥1%, highlighting significant interhospital differences.

Higher IVC filter use did not improve in-hospital mortality but increased DVT, PE, and VTE rates (all p<0.001).

  • An opportunity exists to refine guidelines and ensure appropriate filter use across trauma centers.

Journal Article by Mullens CL, Cain-Nielsen AH (…) Hemmila MR et 5 al. in Ann Surg

Copyright © 2026 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Understanding Recurrence Patterns in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Post-surgery tumor features impact recurrence patterns in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, affecting long-term outcomes and follow-up strategies.

  • Among 1,328 patients, 57.5% experienced recurrence; 23% had both intra- and extrahepatic recurrence.
  • Three or more metastatic lymph nodes increased the chance of combined recurrence (adjusted odds ratio 3.47).
  • Patients with combined recurrence had worse survival outcomes (hazard ratio 1.63) and lower likelihood of receiving further curative treatment (odds ratio 0.14).

Assessing these tumor features may refine postoperative surveillance and patient management strategies.

Journal Article by Yuza K, Chatzipanagiotou OP (…) Pawlik TM et 16 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.
© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.

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High Accuracy in Simplified Triage for Military Trauma

A simplified triage system shows promise for prioritizing trauma care in combat settings, but surgeons must be aware of its overtriage rate.

  • Undertriage for major trauma (ISS ≥16) was just 3.6% with a sensitivity of 96.4%.
  • Overall undertriage was 8.5% for all injuries with an AIS score of 3 or greater, with a sensitivity of 91.5%.

Surgeons should consider the trade-off, as overtriage reached 62.7%, indicating potential resource strain.

  • Identifying subtle injuries remains challenging, underscoring the need for constant evaluation of triage protocols.

Journal Article by Gelman D, Gelman R (…) Nadler R et 10 al. in JAMA Surg

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Local Therapies Improve Survival in Recurrent Pancreatic Cancer

Surgeons should consider local therapies for recurrent pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma as they show significant survival benefits.

  • For liver-only recurrence, local therapy leads to longer survival than chemotherapy alone (HR 0.26).
  • Surgical resection for lung-only recurrence offers better survival compared to conventional treatment (HR 0.35).

Careful patient selection and tailored approaches could enhance outcomes in recurrence management.

  • Locoregional resection also correlates with increased survival (HR 0.52).

Journal Article by Maekawa A, Perri G (…) Marchegiani G et 6 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. The Author(s).

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