Editorial: Innovations in surgical oncology

Abstract

Innovation describes the continuous process of developing and defining new surgical techniques (1, 2). In recent years, the increased introduction of minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches has been achieved for solid malignant tumor removal (3-5). The importance of creating new MIS approaches for curing cancer with the benefit of reduced hospital length of stay, less pain, and rapid recovery has motivated innovators to implement robotic surgery (6, 7). This is one of the reasons why innovative engineering solutions have been adopted, that is, to overcome the challenges of these new approaches, decrease costs, and help surgeons achieve the most effective results and clinical outcomes, improving the quality of life of the patients (8, 9). For example, robots and medical simulators have successfully addressed the limitations and revolutionized minimal surgical access (10,11). The introduction of robots into operating rooms has resulted in improvements in the surgeon's control and visual field (12). Additional benefits have been noted, even for the patient: less tissue damage, shortened hospitalization time to an average of 3-4 days, decreased psychological impact on the patient, reduction of infection risk with the MIS approach, reduction of unwanted surgical complications (e.g., vessel sectioning and nerve damage), and fewer assistants in the operating room (13,14).Furthermore, training using surgical simulators offers several benefits and advantages primarily for future surgeons (15). These simulators can be used as a wet laboratory, with a reduced "human cost" considering potential adverse patient outcomes, and surgeons-intraining can learn in a relaxed environment (16). In addition, the progressive development of simulators improves learning approaches, which involve novel methods that are different from the traditional methods. However, while the importance of these new approaches to improving the learning curve of new surgeons' is an attractive and acceptable adjunct to surgical curricula, the simulators cannot replace the experiences of surgical preceptors (17). The recent establishment of simulation programs in all surgical fields is beneficial for future surgical training, improving patient care and providing surgeons with the opportunity to overcome limitations without anxiety, which is generally considered the norm during the Frontiers in Oncology frontiersin.org 01