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Surgical trainees struggle with Commission on Cancer standards.

  • Only 30% of trainees have formal training on COC operative standards.
  • Correct answer rates: 30% for standards, 50% for cancer surgery principles.

Incorporating education on these standards in training is crucial for improving surgical quality.

  • Fellows have much higher familiarity (68%) compared to residents (24%).
  • A significant 71% of residents participate in operative documentation, indicating a role in compliance despite knowledge gaps.

Journal Article by Baskin AS, Funk EC (…) Zaveri S et 11 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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Linking Postpancreatectomy Acute Pancreatitis to Mortality Risk

Postpancreatectomy acute pancreatitis (PPAP) is a key factor increasing mortality after pancreatoduodenectomy.

  • 24.3% of patients developed clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POP), with 90-day mortality at 9% in this group.
  • PPAP is the strongest predictor of CR-POP (odds ratio 11.76) and 90-day mortality (odds ratio 4.88).

Understanding these links can help refine patient selection and risk assessment for better outcomes.

  • Major morbidity occurred in 35.8% of patients, primarily linked to systemic inflammatory response syndrome and surgical complications.

Journal Article by Bhandare MS, Nandy K (…) Shrikhande SV 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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Examining Impact of Violence Intervention Programs on Patient Outcomes

Violence intervention programs are critical for reducing negative outcomes in firearm violence patients, but their availability varies significantly.

  • 64.3% of patients were treated at facilities with VIP services, but many high-risk patients in non-VIP facilities lack access.
  • Within VIP facilities, 81.5% of patients did not receive VIP services; younger, Medicaid users, and those with assault-related injuries are most likely to benefit.

Surgeons should consider referral patterns and advocate for VIP program integration to better serve high-risk populations.

  • Assault-related injury is the strongest predictor of VIP service use (odds ratio 3.00).

Journal Article by Larosiliere S, Ebadinejad A (…) Keating J et 2 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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Firearm Violence Linked to Historical and Contemporary Discrimination

This study shows that historical redlining and current housing discrimination significantly impact firearm violence in Chicago, particularly affecting marginalized communities.

  • Redlined areas have shooting rates almost 8 times higher than non-redlined zones (irr 7.90).
  • Current housing discrimination measures are each independently linked to increased shootings.

Addressing the roots of these disparities is crucial for improving community safety and informing surgical care priorities in affected populations.

  • Redlining contributes 77-97% of the total shooting effects, while current discrimination contributes 8-22%.

Journal Article by Poulson MR, Green KA (…) Haddad DN et 4 al. in Ann Surg

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

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Robotic Surgery Lowers Conversion Rates in Solid Organ Cancer

Robotic-assisted resection reduces the need for open surgery in solid organ malignancies, impacting surgical decisions.

  • Conversion rates to open surgery were significantly lower with robotic techniques (6.1%) compared to straight stick methods (13.6%, p<0.001).
  • Robotic approaches provided an additional lymph node yield on average, enhancing oncologic outcomes.

Consider integrating robotic platforms to minimize conversion risks, while remaining aware of overall short-term outcome equivalence.

  • Similar length of stay, 90-day mortality, and negative margin rates across both approaches highlight the need for careful patient selection.

Journal Article by Pohlman A, Dahdaleh FS (…) Abdelsattar ZM 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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Surgical Limits in Cytoreduction for Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Surgeons need to consider that extensive perigastric dissection during cytoreductive surgery can impair postoperative recovery without affecting oncologic outcomes.

  • Patients undergoing severe perigastric dissection (GCL4) had delayed oral intake, longer reliance on parenteral nutrition, and extended hospital stays.
  • Major morbidity, 30-day mortality, and long-term survival rates remained consistent across surgical levels.

Tailoring recovery strategies may be essential for patients with extensive dissection; an exploratory nomogram can help predict nutritional needs post-surgery.

  • Key predictors of delayed recovery included female sex, longer operative time, and the extent of perigastric dissection.

Journal Article by Aulicino M, Abatini C (…) Santullo F et 7 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Improved Prognosis in Duodenal Adenocarcinoma Staging

Log odds of positive lymph nodes classification enhances survival predictions in duodenal adenocarcinoma, crucial for surgical decision-making.

  • Standardized log odds showed strong predictive accuracy: c-index of 0.639 in a U.S. cohort and 0.679 in a Chinese cohort.
  • A nomogram incorporating log odds, age, T-stage, and treatment achieved a 5-year area under the curve of 0.735, indicating high individual survival estimation accuracy.

Consider using the nomogram to refine patient selection and optimize treatment strategies based on accurate prognostic data.

Journal Article by Jiang Z, Dai J (…) Cai K et 8 al. in BMC Surg

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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High Quality of Life in Young Patients After IPMN Surgery

Young patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) show excellent long-term quality of life after pancreatic surgery, informing surgical decision-making.

  • 63% needed pancreatic enzyme replacement; 16% developed insulin-dependent diabetes.
  • Quality of life scores (global health 71.1%, functioning 82.9%) were similar to age-matched peers.

Parenchyma-sparing resections yielded particularly favorable outcomes, boosting confidence in surgical options for this demographic.

Journal Article by Rompen IF, Marstaller-Walz K (…) Kaiser J et 5 al. in BMC Surg

Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Growing Female Representation in Surgical Oncology

Gender equity in surgical oncology is improving, with notable increases in female participation and leadership.

  • Female committee membership soared from 25.5% in 2010 to 49.3% in 2024 (p < 0.001).
  • Women now hold 48.1% of leadership roles, up from 20.3% in 2010 (p < 0.01).

This progress enhances diversity and innovation in the field.

  • Female presenters at annual meetings increased from 38.8% in 2013 to 44.4% in 2025 (p = 0.018).

Journal Article by Gaughan NA, Conroy MM (…) Kong AL et 4 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Intra-pancreatic Fat Deposition Predicts Poor Outcomes in PANNens

Significant intra-pancreatic fat deposition is a crucial marker for worse survival in high-grade pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms.

  • 27.6% of 87 patients had significant intra-pancreatic fat deposition (ipfd).
  • Patients with ipfd showed a higher likelihood of tumors in the pancreatic head (75% vs. 49.2%, p = 0.030) and metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (20.8% vs. 3.2%, p = 0.023).
  • Each unit increase in ipfd was linked to over double the risk of both overall (HR 2.134) and disease-specific survival (HR 2.167).

Surgeons should consider ipfd in risk stratification for treatment planning and patient counseling.

Journal Article by Gao C, Fan Z (…) Zhan H et 6 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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