Are Breast Cancer Outcomes Compromised by General Surgical Resident Participation in the Operation?

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Education
• Public Health

Background:

• The impact of surgical resident involvement on breast cancer surgery outcomes remains under-explored.
• Assessing resident participation is crucial for surgical training programs and patient care quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between surgical resident participation and immediate postoperative outcomes in breast cancer patients.
• To evaluate the long-term effects of resident involvement on breast cancer recurrence and survival.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected breast center database (9-year period).
• Comparison of outcomes between patients with >50% resident participation (Resident group) and those without.
• Statistical analyses included chi-square, Fisher exact, Wilcoxon rank-sum, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression.

Main Results:

• 80.1% of 1107 breast cancer patients had resident participation.
• The Resident group experienced longer operative times.
• No significant differences were observed in operative morbidity, reoperations, overall survival, disease-free survival, or local-regional recurrence.

Conclusions:

• Resident participation in breast cancer surgery is associated with increased operative duration but does not compromise patient safety or oncologic outcomes.
• Findings can alleviate concerns regarding the quality of care in teaching hospitals with surgical residents involved in cancer operations.