“Today it is not sufficient to know how to choose the technique to remove a tumor and how to preserve the safety margins during surgery, it is necessary to operate in light of the different variables at stake, namely the possibilities of preservation of the organ, the treatments the patient will be subject to, and the postoperative quality of life. More than surviving, the patient wants the best quality of life possible”, pointed out Rui Maio , clinical director of Hospital da Luz Lisboa, in the opening of Hospital da Luz National Surgery 5 th Congress. Therefore, he concluded, “the patient should always be in the center of our activity, and technology will be of no interest unless it serves the patient”. Along two days (September 25 and 26), national and foreign specialists have discussed the surgical approach of gastrointestinal cancer (stomach, colon and rectum, pancreas, esophagus, esophagogastric junction, and liver) and the best way to treat such patients. The program was developed around the experience of Hospital da Luz regarding these diseases, with presentation of clinical cases, from the most common to the most complex ones, criteria and methodologies used by the multidisciplinary teams in treatment and the results obtained. The thematic round tables included therefore not only general surgeons, but also gastroenterologists, radiologists, and anatomopathologists: Alexandre Ferreira , Ana Faria , Catarina Fidalgo , Catarina Pulido , Diogo Albergaria , Fábio Cassiano Lopes , Joana Albuquerque , Joana Nunes , Jorge Paulino , José António Pereira , Luís Mascarenhas de Lemos , Luís Semedo , Marília Cravo , Miguel Ramalho , Susana Ourô and Rui Maio. Defining the competences of surgeon and machine “In our hospital, no patient with cancer is treated before case evaluation and discussion in multidisciplinary consultation, with participation of the different specialized physicians that will be intervening”, underlined Rui Maio, adding apropos that the ‘burden’ of gastrointestinal cancer in the total of such consultations is around 24%. This model of treatment of cancer “benefits not only the patients but also the work of health professionals”, testified Anisabel Soares, Hospital da Luz Lisboa director of nursing. Isabel Vaz, Luz Saúde CEO, intervening in the opening session, brought to the table the “hot topic” of the moment, that of the limits of technological advancement. “The limits will be those imposed by us. We are presently confronted with the challenge of defining what is a surgeon, what is the competence of a surgeon, and what is required of the machine”, she stated, pointing the way: “In this challenge, we must hold on to the founding values of Medicine, and the duty of management is to stand by the physicians so that, together, we may always keep the patient in the core of our activity. For there is one thing that technology cannot definitely treat: the heart and soul of the human being” . The oncologic patient “is now a complex chronic patient”, therefore “surgery goes way beyond immediate results”, she further emphasized. The debates of this congress were dynamized starting from the presentation of clinical cases of Hospital da Luz patients. Besides a reflection on options followed in terms of therapy and surgical techniques, were also in highlight topics such as the advantages of minimally invasive robotic surgery and ERAS® program (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery), a multidisciplinary approach program for surgical patients where Hospital da Luz Lisboa is a world reference , allowing to improve perioperative care (before, during, after surgery, and hospital discharge) and consequently better recovery for the patient. The most recent changes and advances in the treatment of gastric and esophageal, colon and rectum, liver, pancreas and biliary tract cancer, were the themes of conferences given by national and international guests: Maria Bencivenga (Verona University Hospital, Italy), Rita Barroca (Hospital Lusíadas), Nelson J. Silva (coordinator of Colorectal Cancer Unit, Hospital Cuf Tejo), Thilo Welsch (Frankfurt University Hospital, one of the most renowned surgeons of the moment in Germany), and Benedetto Ielpo (Hepatobiliarypancreatic Unit, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, a top European reference in surgical innovation). Hospital da Luz thanks all the participants, sponsors and specialists present in this congress, which will return in 2027. In the photo below, the elements of the organizing and scientific committees: João Correia, Constança Marques, Carlota Branco, Rui Maio, Catarina Palma, and Joana Soares.
