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New Checklist for Surgical Prehabilitation Reporting

A new reporting checklist improves how surgical prehabilitation studies are conducted and evaluated, enhancing outcomes for patients.

  • The checklist has 40 items: 16 essential and 24 important for clear reporting.
  • It covers intervention components, delivery methods, adherence, and outcomes.

Adopting these standards will boost transparency in prehabilitation trials, leading to better reproducibility and clinical application.

  • High agreement among 53 international experts shows its usability in practice.

Journal Article by Gillis C, McIsaac DI (…) Fiore JF et 30 al. in Br J Surg

© The Author(s) 2026. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BJS Foundation Ltd.

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Radiological Organ Invasion Signals Poor Outcomes in Pancreatic Cancer

Radiological adjacent organ invasion in resectable left-sided pancreatic cancer indicates worse prognosis and may alter treatment strategies.

  • Patients with adjacent organ invasion had median survival of 25.9 months versus 67.2 months for those without (p < 0.001).
  • Elevated CA19-9 levels (≥279 U/ml) and positive peritoneal cytology were significantly more common in the invasion group.

Consider RAOI a marker for borderline resectable disease requiring intensive multimodal therapies.

  • Even among those with negative cytology results, overall survival was lower in the invasion group (33.5 vs. 71.9 months, p = 0.001).

Journal Article by Kitahama T, Ohgi K (…) Sugiura T et 6 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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High Concordance of cfDNA and Tumor Profiling in Appendiceal Cancer

This study shows that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can accurately reflect the genetic profile of appendiceal cancer, which is crucial for surgical decision-making.

  • ctDNA from plasma matched tumor genomic profiling with 98.4% concordance overall and 85.7% for actionable mutations.
  • Key mutations found: KRAS (41%), GNAS (30%), TP53 (30%), and SMAD4 (29%).
  • High-grade tumors are linked to TP53, SMAD4, and other mutations; GNAS is prevalent in low-grade tumors.

Integrating ctDNA analysis into clinical pathways can enhance patient selection and outcome predictions.

  • cfDNA concentration can serve as a prognostic biomarker for disease-specific survival and progression.

Journal Article by Patel S, Petrosko P (…) LaFramboise WA et 16 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases Reveal Care Disparities

Surgical intervention for liver metastases in colorectal cancer is underutilized among disadvantaged groups, impacting outcomes.

  • Only 18% of analyzed patients received hepatectomy or ablation, with non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic/Latino patients 17% less likely to undergo intervention.
  • Patients at academic centers were 2.24 times more likely to receive surgical treatment than those at community programs.
  • Higher insurance status and income correlate with increased odds of receiving intervention.

Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving surgical outcomes and equity in treatment access.

Journal Article by Martinez AE, Webber A (…) DiBrito S et 3 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Minimally Invasive Surgery Reduces Risks in Hepatectomy

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) lowers surgical risks in both initial and repeat hepatectomies, crucial for improving patient outcomes.

  • In initial hepatectomy patients, MIS is linked to a lower risk of postoperative morbidity.
  • For repeat hepatectomies, each point increase in adhesion severity (TORAD v2.0) raises morbidity risk by 60%, while MIS reduces this risk significantly (odds ratio 0.09).

Employing MIS may lead to better surgical outcomes and reduce complications linked to severe adhesions.

Journal Article by Shindoh J, Kobayashi Y (…) Matsumura M et 7 al. in World J Surg

© 2026 International Society of Surgery/Société Internationale de Chirurgie (ISS/SIC).

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Ex-Vivo Porcine Model: A Game-Changer for Surgical Training

This study validates a low-cost, ex vivo porcine model for surgical education with strong realism and reproducibility.

  • Participants rated overall satisfaction at 5.0/5, with tissue quality at 4.9/5.
  • Average harvesting and preparation times were 16.3 and 15.7 minutes, respectively.

This model addresses ethical concerns and may enhance surgeon training outcomes while supporting the agri-food supply chain.

  • Realistic hemorrhage management received a lower satisfaction score of 2.6/5, indicating room for improvement.

Journal Article by Roussel E, Arnoult C (…) Schwarz L et 5 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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Tissue Factor Levels Predict Survival in Pancreatic Cancer Surgery

High tissue factor (tf) expression in pancreatic cancer correlates with worse outcomes, offering a vital tool for patient selection.

  • High tf was noted in 17.4% of cases, linked to elevated CA19-9 and shorter survival (median: 20.6 months vs. 38.8 months in low tf).
  • It served as an independent poor prognosis predictor (hazard ratio: 2.21).

Surgeons should consider tf expression when assessing tumor aggressiveness and tailoring treatment strategies.

  • Tf-negative tumors are associated with better long-term survival despite recurrence.

Journal Article by Kamiya M, Koizume S (…) Miyagi Y et 14 al. in Ann Surg Oncol

© 2026. Society of Surgical Oncology.

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Vasopressin’s Role in Edema Post-Liver Resection

Surgeons need to know that elevated vasopressin significantly contributes to fluid retention after liver resection, impacting postoperative management.

  • Vasopressin (AVP) levels peaked immediately after major liver resections and stayed elevated through postoperative day 3, while aldosterone levels dropped by postoperative day 2.
  • Patients showed greater short-term weight gain and decreased urine output during the AVP elevation, indicating pronounced fluid retention.

Understanding vasopressin’s role can inform fluid management strategies to mitigate postoperative edema in liver surgery.

  • The findings highlight the need to consider hormonal profiles when planning postoperative care, especially for major resections.

Comparative Study by Aoki Y, Kawano Y (…) Yoshida H et 4 al. in World J Gastroenterol

©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

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Circular Staplers Show No Leak Rate Advantage in Colorectal Surgery

Using powered circular staplers in left-sided colorectal anastomoses does not significantly reduce anastomotic leaks compared to manual staplers.

  • Analysis of 9 studies with over 3,100 patients found no significant difference in leak rates (RR 0.56) or morbidity (RR 0.84).
  • However, powered staplers showed a significantly lower rate of post-operative bleeding (RR 0.20, p < 0.001).

Surgeons should consider that powered staplers may help with bleeding but are not proven to reduce leaks. Further RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Journal Article by Samarasinghe N, Lin W (…) Ghuman A et 5 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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Endoscopic Closure vs. Surgery for Colonic Perforations

Endoscopic closure may be a viable first-line approach for select iatrogenic colonic perforations.

  • No difference in treatment success between endoscopic closure and surgery (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.94-1.06).
  • Endoscopy was generally used for smaller, immediately recognized injuries, while surgery was preferred for larger, delayed presentations.
  • In ideal candidates (perforations <2 cm with no peritonitis), endoscopy could shorten hospital stays.

Review by Mirza W, Khan ME (…) Khan HM et 4 al. in Surg Endosc

© 2026. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

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