GI Surgery Summit white paper: recruiting and training the next generation of surgeons.

Background: There is an ongoing debate on surgical training and its evolution to meet the demands of a complex and changing healthcare environment.

Methods: A GI Surgery Summit was held in January 2024 that included prominent leaders and rising talents from the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association for Academic Surgery, and Society of University Surgeons. This meeting was held to address the multifaceted current and future challenges of surgery.

Factors Associated With Surgical Management in Gallbladder Cancer-A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare-Based Study.

Introduction: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) incidence is rising, yet prognosis remains poor. Oncological resection of stage T1b or higher improves survival, yet many patients do not receive appropriate resection. This study aims to evaluate factors that may attribute to this discrepancy using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare (SEER-Medicare) database.

Defining the role and impact of specialty surgeons in ensuring high-quality, accessible abdominal surgery: a report from the 2024 GI Surgery Summit.

Background: The 2024 GI Surgery Summit brought together Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO), and Society of University Surgeons (SUS) members to assess the current state of gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. This report reviews the key discussions and recommendations after the dedicated plenary session that addressed challenges in providing high-quality, accessible GI surgery for all patients.

Methods: The Summit took place from January 14 to 16.

Overall Volume of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Positively Impacts Gastric Cancer Outcomes at Centers with Low Gastrectomy Volume.

Background: The relationship between hospital volume and surgical mortality is well documented. However, complete centralization of surgical care is not always feasible. The present study investigates how overall volume of upper gastrointestinal surgery at hospitals influences patient outcomes following resection for gastric adenocarcinoma.

Disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delays in colorectal cancer treatment: A National Cancer Database study.

Background: Timely treatment for patients with colorectal cancer may have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated the impact of the pandemic on delays to treatment with surgery or systemic therapy for patients with colorectal cancer and delineated factors predictive of delayed treatment.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were categorized by year of diagnosis as COVID-19 era (2020) versus pre-COVID-19 (2018-2019).

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Delays to Breast Cancer Surgery: Ripples or Waves?

Background: Adherence to current recommendations for optimal time from diagnosis to treatment for patients with breast cancer may have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on time to surgery or systemic treatment with chemotherapy or immunotherapy for patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, patients diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 were compared to those diagnosed from 2018-2019 (Pre-COVID).

The impact of social risk factors on the presentation, treatment and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma at an urban, academic safety-net hospital.

Background: Vulnerable populations have worse hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) outcomes. We sought to understand if this could be mitigated at a safety-net hospital.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of HCC patients was conducted (2007-2018).

Delay and Disparity in Observed vs Predicted Incidence Rate of Screenable Cancer During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruption of healthcare services, including cancer screenings, yet data on this are limited. We sought to compare observed and expected cancer incidence rates for screenable cancers, quantifying potential missed diagnoses.

Study Design: Lung, female breast, and colorectal cancer patients from 2010 to 2020 in the National Cancer Database were standardized to calculate annual incidence rates per 100,000.

Axillary Lymph Node Dissection is Associated with Improved Survival Among Men with Invasive Breast Cancer and Sentinel Node Metastasis.

Background: Male breast cancer (MBC) is rare, and management is extrapolated from trials that enroll only women. It is unclear whether contemporary axillary management based on data from landmark trials in women may also apply to men with breast cancer. This study aimed to compare survival in men with positive sentinel lymph nodes after sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) alone versus complete axillary dissection (ALND).

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Time to Treatment Initiation: A National Cancer Database Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic strained oncologic care access and delivery, yet little is known about how it impacted hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) management. Our study sought to evaluate the annual effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on time to treatment initiation (TTI) for HCC.

Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients diagnosed with clinical stages I-IV HCC (2017-2020).

Evaluating Axillary Lymph Node Yield After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Introduction: The benefits that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) provides in treating patients with breast cancer are well known. However, its effects on axillary lymph nodes and lymph node yield (LNY) following axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) remain unclear. Given the importance of LNY for accurate axillary staging in patients with breast cancer, we retrospectively reviewed a large national cancer database to determine if NAC has an effect on LNY following axillary surgery.

Physiological consequences of abnormal connectivity in a developmental epilepsy.

Objective: Many forms of epilepsy are associated with aberrant neuronal connections, but the relationship between such pathological connectivity and the underlying physiological predisposition to seizures is unclear. We sought to characterize the cortical excitability profile of a developmental form of epilepsy known to have structural and functional connectivity abnormalities.

Methods: We employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) recording in 8 patients with epilepsy from periventricular nodular heterotopia and matched healthy controls.

Morbidity and cost of odontogenic infections.

Objective: Cost analysis of deep neck space infections from odontogenic origin and review of the morbidity of potentially preventable complications.

Study Design: Case series with chart review.

Setting: Level 1 trauma center and academic safety net hospital.