How much tumor surgery do early-career orthopaedic oncologists perform?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Medical Workforce Analysis

Background:

• Limited data exists on the procedural focus of early-career orthopaedic oncologists.
• Understanding early practice patterns is crucial for addressing surgeon satisfaction and workforce planning.
• Fellowship graduates face challenges due to the limited volume of specialized tumor cases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the annual operative case volumes and procedure distribution for early-career orthopaedic oncologists.
• To identify practice characteristics associated with the number of tumor procedures performed.
• To explore career satisfaction and challenges faced by these surgeons.

Main Methods:

• A survey collected operative case lists from 15 fellowship-trained orthopaedic oncologists in their first 4 years of practice over a 2-year period.
• Analysis included procedure types (tumor, trauma, adult reconstruction, other) and associations with practice characteristics.
• Participants also reported on practice-related stress and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• The median annual caseload was 214 operations, with a median of 135 (56%) being tumor-related.
• The number of tumor operations correlated significantly with the total annual caseload (r = 0.73, p < 0.001).
• Early-career surgeons (73%) emphasized case volume as a key factor, more so than the general Musculoskeletal Tumor Society membership (28%).

Conclusions:

• Early-career orthopaedic oncologists perform less than 60% of procedures directly related to their specialized fellowship training.
• Despite this, their overall career challenges and rewards are comparable to those of more experienced oncologic surgeons.
• This study provides foundational data for prospective surgeons, educators, and workforce discussions in orthopaedic oncology.