A structured strategy to combine education for advanced MIS training in surgical oncology training programs

Changing realities in surgery and surgical technique have heightened the need for agile adaptation in training programs. Current guidelines reflect the growing acceptance and adoption of the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in oncology. North American general surgery residents are often not adequately skilled in advanced laparoscopic surgery skills at the completion of their residency. Presently, advanced laparoscopic surgery training during surgical oncology fellowship training occurs on an ad-hoc basis in many surgical oncology programs. We present a rational and template for a structured training in advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques during surgical oncology fellowship training. The structure of the program seeks to incorporate evidence-based strategies in MIS training from a comprehensive review of the literature, while maintaining essential elements of rigorous surgical oncology training. Fellows in this stream will train and certify in the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) course. Fellows will participate in the didactic oncology seminar series continuously throughout the 27 months training period. Fellows will complete one full year of dedicated MIS training, followed by 15 months of surgical oncology training. Minimal standards for case volume will be expected for MIS cases and training will be tailored to meet the career goals of the fellows. We propose that a formalized MIS-Surgical Oncology Fellowship will allow trainees to benefit from an effective training curriculum and furthermore, that will allow for graduates to lead in a cancer surgery milieu increasingly focused on minimally invasive approaches.