The contemporary management of peritoneal metastasis: A journey from the cold past of treatment futility to a warm present and a bright future.

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is often regarded as a less frequent pattern of spread; however, collectively across all spectra of primary tumors, the consequences of PM impact a large population of patients annually. Unlike other modes of metastasis, symptoms at presentation or during the treatment course are common, representing an additional challenge in the management of PM. Early efforts with chemotherapy and incomplete surgical interventions transiently improved symptoms, but durable symptom control and survival extension were rare, which established a perspective of treatment futility for PM through most of the 20th century. Notably, the continued development of better systemic therapy combinations, optimization of cytoreductive surgery (CRS), and rigorous investigation of combining regional therapy-specifically hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy-with CRS, have resulted in more effective multimodal treatment options for patients with PM. In this article, the authors provide a comprehensive review of the data establishing the contemporary approach for tumors with a high frequency of PM, including appendix, colorectal, mesothelioma, and gastric cancers. The authors also explore the emerging role of adding hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy to the well established paradigm of CRS and systemic therapy for advanced ovarian cancer, as well as the recent clinical trials identifying the efficacy of poly(adenosine diphosphate ribose) polymerase maintenance therapy. Finally, recent data are included that explore the role of precision medicine technology in PM management that, in the future, may help further improve patient selection, identify the best systemic therapy regimens, detect actionable mutations, and identify new targets for drug development.

Optimizing surgical education through the implementation of a feedback curriculum.

BACKGROUND: While the advent of work-hour restrictions contributes to increased resident well-being, new interventions are needed to ensure that surgical residents continue to be adequately trained. Our study aims to take the evidence supportive of enhanced feedback and apply it in the real world by creating a feedback training curriculum within a surgical residency. METHODS: A large academic general surgery residency program consisting of 42 residents was sequentially surveyed using the Kirkpatrick model to assess baseline attitudes towards feedback and the efficacy of a feedback training program for faculty and residents. RESULTS: After feedback training, the number of residents that believed their faculty were providing feedback effectively increased from 23% to 54%. Although limited by small sample size, improvements were likely seen in constructive feedback overall and quality feedback from senior residents. CONCLUSIONS: Formal feedback training should be incorporated into efforts to enhance educational skills among surgical faculty.

Assessing the immediate impact of COVID-19 on surgical oncology practice: Experience from an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: The effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on surgical oncology practice are not yet quantified. The aim of this study was to measure the immediate impact of COVID-19 on surgical oncology practice volume. METHODS: A retrospective study of patients treated at an NCI-Comprehensive Cancer Center was performed. "Pre-COVID" era was defined as January-February 2020 and "COVID" as March-April 2020. Primary outcomes were clinic visits and operative volume by surgical oncology subspecialty. RESULTS: Abouyt 907 new patient visits, 3897 follow-up visits, and 644 operations occurred during the study period. All subspecialties experienced significant decreases in new patient visits during COVID, though soft tissue oncology (Mel/Sarc), gynecologic oncology (Gyn/Onc), and endocrine were disproportionately affected. Telehealth visits increased to 11.4% of all visits by April. Mel/Sarc, Gyn/Onc, and Breast experienced significant operative volume decreases during COVID (25.8%, p = 0.012, 43.6% p < 0.001, and 41.9%, p < 0.001, respectively), while endocrine had no change and gastrointestinal oncology had a slight increase (p = 0.823) in the number of cases performed. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are wide-ranging within surgical oncology subspecialties. The addition of telehealth is a viable avenue for cancer patient care and should be considered in surgical oncology practice.

Use of the six core surgical indicators from the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery in Colombia: a situational analysis.

BACKGROUND: Surgical, anaesthetic, and obstetric (SAO) health-care system strengthening is needed to address the emergency and essential surgical care that approximately 5 billion individuals lack globally. To our knowledge, a complete, non-modelled national situational analysis based on the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery surgical indicators has not been done. We aimed to undertake a complete situation analysis of SAO system preparedness, service delivery, and financial risk protection using the core surgical indicators proposed by the Commission in Colombia, an upper-middle-income country. METHODS: Data to inform the six core surgical system indicators were abstracted from the Colombian national health information system and the most recent national health survey done in 2007. Geographical access to a Bellwether hospital (defined as a hospital capable of providing essential and emergency surgery) within 2 h was assessed by determining 2 h drive time boundaries around Bellwether facilities and the population within and outside these boundaries. Physical 2 h access to a Bellwether was determined by the presence of a motor vehicle suitable for individual transportation. The Department Administrativo Nacional de Estadística population projection for 2016 and 2018 was used to calculate the SAO provider density. Total operative volume was calculated for 2016 and expressed nationally per 100 000 population. The total number of postoperative deaths that occurred within 30 days of a procedure was divided by the total operative volume to calculate the all-cause, non-risk-adjusted postoperative mortality. The proportion of the population subject to impoverishing costs was calculated by subtracting the baseline number of impoverished individuals from those who fell below the poverty line once out-of-pocket payments were accounted for. Individuals who incurred out-of-pocket payments that were more than 10% of their annual household income were considered to have experienced catastrophic expenditure. Using GIS mapping, SAO system preparedness, service delivery, and cost protection were also contextualised by socioeconomic status. FINDINGS: In 2016, at least 7·1 million people (15·1% of the population) in Colombia did not have geographical access to SAO services within a 2 h driving distance. SAO provider density falls short of the Commission's minimum target of 20 providers per 100 000 population, at an estimated density of 13·7 essential SAO health-care providers per 100 000 population in 2018. Lower socioeconomic status of a municipality, as indicated by proportion of people enrolled in the subsidised insurance regime, was associated with a smaller proportion of the population in the municipality being within 2 h of a Bellwether facility, and the most socioeconomically disadvantaged municipalities often had no SAO providers. Furthermore, Colombian providers appear to be working at or beyond capacity, doing 2690-3090 procedures per 100 000 population annually, but they have maintained a relatively low median postoperative mortality of 0·74% (IQR 0·48-0·84). Finally, out-of-pocket expenses for indirect health-care costs were a key barrier to accessing surgical care, prompting 3·1 million (6·4% of the population) individuals to become impoverished and 9·5 million (19·4% of the population) individuals to incur catastrophic expenditures in 2007. INTERPRETATION: We did a non-modelled, indicator-based situation analysis of the Colombian SAO system, finding that it has not yet met, but is working towards achieving, the targets set by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery. The observed interdependence of these indicators and correlation with socioeconomic status are consistent with well recognised factors and outcomes of social, health, and health-care inequity. The internal consistency observed in Colombia's situation analysis validates the use of the indicators and has now informed development of an early national SAO plan in Colombia, to set a data-informed stage for implementation and evaluation of timely, safe, and affordable SAO health care, within the National Public Health Decennial Plan, which is due in 2022. FUNDING: Zoll Medical.