Long-Term Impact of Regionalization of Thoracic Oncology Surgery.

Background: In 2007, Cancer Care Ontario created Thoracic Surgical Oncology Standards for the delivery of surgery, including lobectomy, esophagectomy, and pneumonectomy. These standards regionalized thoracic surgery into designated centers and mandated physical and human resources. This analysis sought to identify the impact of these standards, hereafter referred to as "regionalization," on outcomes after thoracic oncology surgery in Ontario, Canada.

Association of Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision With Local Recurrence of Rectal Cancer.

Importance: Proponents of novel transanal total mesorectal excision (TME) suggest the procedure overcomes the technical and oncologic challenges of conventional approaches for treating rectal cancer. Recently, however, there has been controversy regarding the oncologic safety of the procedure.

Objective: To assess the association of transanal TME with the incidence of local recurrence (LR) of cancer and the probability of remaining free of LR during follow-up.

Improving the Prediction of Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a potentially fatal complication of cardiac surgery. The inability to predict cardiac surgery-associated AKI is a major barrier to prevention and early treatment. Current clinical risk models for the prediction of cardiac surgery-associated AKI are insufficient, particularly in patients with preexisting kidney dysfunction.