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Background: The potential benefits of robotic-assisted compared with laparoscopic surgery for locally advanced cancer have not been sufficiently proven by prospective studies. One factor is speculated to be the lack of strict surgeon criteria. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes for robotic surgery in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer with strict surgeon experience criteria.

Methods: A criterion was set requiring surgeons to have performed more than 40 robotically assisted operations for rectal cancer. Between March 2020 and May 2022, patients with rectal cancer (distance from the anal verge of 12 cm or less, cT2-T4a, cN0-N3, cM0, or cT1-T4a, cN1-N3, cM0) were registered. The primary endpoint was the rate positive circumferential resection margin (CRM) from the pathological specimen. Secondary endpoints were surgical outcomes, pathological results, postoperative complications, and longterm outcomes.

Results: Of the 321 registered patients, 303 were analysed, excluding 18 that were ineligible. At diagnosis: stage I (n = 68), stage II (n = 84) and stage III (n = 151). Neoadjuvant therapy was used in 56 patients. There were no conversions to open surgery. The median console time to rectal resection was 170 min, and the median blood loss was 5 ml. Fourteen patients had a positive CRM (4.6%). Grade III-IV postoperative complications were observed in 13 patients (4.3%).

Conclusion: Robotic-assisted surgery is feasible for locally advanced rectal cancer when strict surgeon criteria are used.

Background: Extended aortic repair is considered a key issue for the long-term durability of surgery for DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection. The risk of aortic degeneration may be higher in young patients due to their long life expectancy. The early outcome and durability of aortic surgery in these patients were investigated in the present study.

Methods: The subjects of the present analysis were patients under 60 years old who underwent surgical repair for acute DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection at 18 cardiac surgery centres across Europe between 2005 and 2021. Patients underwent ascending aortic repair or total aortic arch repair using the conventional technique or the frozen elephant trunk technique. The primary outcome was 5-year cumulative incidence of reoperation on the distal aorta.

Results: Overall, 915 patients underwent surgical ascending aortic repair and 284 patients underwent surgical total aortic arch repair. The frozen elephant trunk procedure was performed in 128 patients. Among 245 propensity score-matched pairs, total aortic arch repair did not decrease the rate of distal aortic reoperation compared to ascending aortic repair (5-year cumulative incidence, 6.7% versus 6.7%, subdistributional hazard ratio 1.127, 95% c.i. 0.523 to 2.427). Total aortic arch repair increased the incidence of postoperative stroke/global brain ischaemia (25.7% versus 18.4%, P = 0.050) and dialysis (19.6% versus 12.7%, P = 0.003). Five-year mortality was comparable after ascending aortic repair and total aortic arch repair (22.8% versus 27.3%, P = 0.172).

Conclusions: In patients under 60 years old with DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection, total aortic arch replacement compared with ascending aortic repair did not reduce the incidence of distal aortic operations at 5 years. When feasible, ascending aortic repair for DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection is associated with satisfactory early and mid-term outcomes.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04831073.

Background: The anatomical pattern of lymph nodes spread differs between young (aged 45 years or younger) and elderly (aged 80 years or older) patients with stage III colon cancer and is poorly investigated.

Methods: Two groups of patients (young and elderly) with stage III colon cancer who underwent upfront extensive (D3) lymphadenectomy at eight Japanese centres between 1998 and 2018 were retrospectively analysed. The primary endpoint was the proportion of positive central lymph nodes. The lymph nodes spreading pattern and its prognostic impact on recurrence-free survival and overall survival in the two groups were also compared.

Results: Two hundred and ten young patients and 348 elderly patients were identified and compared. The total number of lymph nodes harvested and the total number of invaded lymph nodes were significantly higher in younger patients compared with elderly patients (median of 31.5 (3-151) versus 21 (3-116), P < 0.001 and median of 3 (1-21) versus 2 (1-25), P < 0.001 respectively). The proportion of positive central lymph nodes were higher in younger patients than in elderly patients (9.52% (95% c.i. 6.24 to 14.2%) versus 4.59% (95% c.i. 2.84 to 7.31%), P = 0.012). In multivariate models for recurrence-free survival, central lymph nodes invasion were identified as a poor prognostic factor in younger patients (HR 5.21 (95% c.i. 1.76 to 15.39)) but not in elderly patients (HR 1.73 (95% c.i. 0.80 to 3.76)).

Conclusion: Young patients with stage III colon cancer have a higher risk of central lymph nodes invasion, suggesting a more aggressive disease biology. The presence of central lymph nodes invasion are associated with a worse outcome in young patients.

Background: Total mesorectal excision (TME) is the standard surgery for low/mid locally advanced rectal cancer. The aim of this study was to compare three minimally invasive surgical approaches for TME with primary anastomosis (laparoscopic TME, robotic TME, and transanal TME).

Methods: Records of patients undergoing laparoscopic TME, robotic TME, or transanal TME between 2013 and 2022 according to standardized techniques in expert centres contributing to the European MRI and Rectal Cancer Surgery III (EuMaRCS-III) database were analysed. Propensity score matching was applied to compare the three groups with respect to the complication rate (primary outcome), conversion rate, postoperative recovery, and survival.

Results: A total of 468 patients (mean(s.d.) age of 64.1(11) years) were included; 190 (40.6%) patients underwent laparoscopic TME, 141 (30.1%) patients underwent robotic TME, and 137 (29.3%) patients underwent transanal TME. Comparative analyses after propensity score matching demonstrated a higher rate of postoperative complications for laparoscopic TME compared with both robotic TME (OR 1.80, 95% c.i. 1.11-2.91) and transanal TME (OR 2.87, 95% c.i. 1.72-4.80). Robotic TME was associated with a lower rate of grade A anastomotic leakage (2%) compared with both laparoscopic TME (8.8%) and transanal TME (8.1%) (P = 0.031). Robotic TME (1.4%) and transanal TME (0.7%) were both associated with a lower conversion rate to open surgery compared with laparoscopic TME (8.8%) (P < 0.001). Time to flatus and duration of hospital stay were shorter for patients treated with transanal TME (P = 0.003 and 0.001 respectively). There were no differences in operating time, intraoperative complications, blood loss, mortality, readmission, R0 resection, or survival.

Conclusion: In this multicentre, retrospective, propensity score-matched, cohort study of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, newer minimally invasive approaches (robotic TME and transanal TME) demonstrated improved outcomes compared with laparoscopic TME.

Background: In recent decades, the survival of children with congenital anomalies and paediatric cancer has improved dramatically such that there has been a steady shift towards understanding their lifelong health outcomes. Paediatric surgeons will actively manage such conditions in childhood and adolescence, however, adult surgeons must later care for these 'grown-ups' in adulthood. This article aims to highlight some of those rare disorders encountered by paediatric surgeons requiring long-term follow-up, their management in childhood and their survivorship impact, in order that the adult specialist may be better equipped with skills and knowledge to manage these patients into adulthood.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify relevant publications. Research studies, review articles and guidelines were sought, focusing on the paediatric management and long-term outcomes of surgical conditions of childhood. The article has been written for adult surgeon readership.

Results: This article describes the aforementioned conditions, their management in childhood and their lifelong implications, including: oesophageal atresia, tracheo-oesophageal fistula, malrotation, short bowel syndrome, duodenal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, choledochal malformations, biliary atresia, Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformations, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital lung lesions and paediatric cancer.

Conclusion: The increasing survivorship of children affected by surgical conditions will translate into a growing population of adults with lifelong conditions and specialist healthcare needs. The importance of transition from childhood to adulthood is becoming realized. It is hoped that this timely review will enthuse the readership to offer care for such vulnerable patients, and to collaborate with paediatric surgeons in providing successful and seamless transitional care.

Background: Oesophageal cancer, in particular adenocarcinoma, has a strong male predominance. However, the impact of patient sex on operative and oncologic outcomes and recovery of health-related quality of life is poorly documented, and was the focus of this large multicentre cohort study.

Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent oncological oesophagectomy from 2009 to 2015 in the 20 European iNvestigation of SUrveillance after Resection for Esophageal cancer study group centres were assessed. Clinicopathologic variables, therapeutic approach, postoperative complications, survival and health-related quality of life data were compared between male and female patients. Multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, tumour histology, treatment protocol and major complications. Specific subgroup analyses comparing adenocarcinoma versus squamous cell cancer for all key outcomes were performed.

Results: Overall, 3974 patients were analysed, 3083 (77.6%) male and 891 (22.4%) female; adenocarcinoma was predominant in both groups, while squamous cell cancer was observed more commonly in female patients (39.8% versus 15.1%, P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis demonstrated improved outcomes in female patients for overall survival (HRmales 1.24, 95% c.i. 1.07 to 1.44) and disease-free survival (HRmales 1.22, 95% c.i. 1.05 to 1.43), which was caused by the adenocarcinoma subgroup, whereas this difference was not confirmed in squamous cell cancer. Male patients presented higher health-related quality of life functional scores but also a higher risk of financial problems, while female patients had lower overall summary scores and more persistent gastrointestinal symptoms.

Conclusion: This study reveals uniquely that female sex is associated with more favourable long-term survival after curative treatment for oesophageal cancer, especially adenocarcinoma, although long-term overall and gastrointestinal health-related quality of life are poorer in women.

Background: Risk evaluation of lymph node metastasis for early-stage (T1 and T2) colorectal cancers is critical for determining therapeutic strategies. Traditional methods of lymph node metastasis prediction have limited accuracy. This systematic review aimed to review the potential of artificial intelligence in predicting lymph node metastasis in early-stage colorectal cancers.

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed of papers that evaluated the potential of artificial intelligence in predicting lymph node metastasis in early-stage colorectal cancers. Studies were appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. The primary outcome was summarizing artificial intelligence models and their accuracy. Secondary outcomes included influential variables and strategies to address challenges.

Results: Of 3190 screened manuscripts, 11 were included, involving 8648 patients from 1996 to 2023. Due to diverse artificial intelligence models and varied metrics, no data synthesis was performed. Models included random forest algorithms, support vector machine, deep learning, artificial neural network, convolutional neural network and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. Artificial intelligence models' area under the curve values ranged from 0.74 to 0.9993 (slide level) and 0.9476 to 0.9956 (single-node level), outperforming traditional clinical guidelines.

Conclusion: Artificial intelligence models show promise in predicting lymph node metastasis in early-stage colorectal cancers, potentially refining clinical decisions and improving outcomes.

Prospero registration number: CRD42023409094.

Background: Poor-quality handovers lead to adverse outcomes for patients; however, there is a lack of evidence to support safe surgical handovers. This systematic review aims to summarize the interventions available to improve end-of-shift surgical handover. A novel taxonomy of interventions and outcomes and a modified quality assessment tool are also described.

Methods: Ovid MEDLINE®, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for articles up to April 2023. Comparative studies describing interventions for daily in-hospital surgical handovers between doctors were included. Studies were grouped according to their interventions and outcomes.

Results: In total, 6139 citations were retrieved, and 41 studies met the inclusion criteria. The total patient sample sizes in the control and intervention groups were 11 946 and 11 563 patients, respectively. Most studies were pre-/post-intervention cohort studies (92.7%), and most (73.2%) represented level V evidence. The mean quality assessment score was 53.4% (17.1). A taxonomy of handover interventions and outcomes was developed, with interventions including handover tools, process standardization measures, staff education, and the use of mnemonics. More than 25% of studies used a document as the only intervention. Overall, 55 discrete outcomes were assessed in four categories including process (n = 27), staff (n = 14), patient (n = 12) and system-level (n = 2) outcomes. Significant improvements were seen in 51.8%, 78.5%, 58.3% (n = 9761 versus 9312 patients) and 100% of these outcomes, respectively.

Conclusions: Most publications demonstrate that good-quality surgical handover improves outcomes and many interventions appear to be effective; however, studies are methodologically heterogeneous. These novel taxonomies and quality assessment tool will help standardize future studies.