Abstract
BACKGROUND: In Japan, the Endoscopic Surgical Skill Qualification System (ESSQS) is used to evaluate surgical skills essential for laparoscopic surgery, but whether surgeons with this certification as operators improve the short-term outcomes and prognosis after rectal cancer surgery is unclear. This cohort study was designed to compare the short-term and long-term outcomes of laparoscopic surgery for advanced rectal cancer performed by an ESSQS-certified surgeon versus a surgeon without ESSQS certification. METHODS: The outcomes of cStage II and III rectal cancer surgery cases performed at 56 Japanese hospitals between 2014 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. To examine the impact of ESSQS-certified surgeons as surgeons, the outcomes of cases with only ESSQS-certified surgeons as operators were compared with those without involvement of ESSQS-certified surgeons. RESULTS: A total of 3197 cases were enrolled, with 1015 in which surgery was performed by ESSQS-certified surgeons, and 544 in which there was no involvement of ESSQS-certified surgeons. After propensity score matching, the ESSQS group had significantly shorter operative time (p < 0.001), a lower conversion rate to open surgery (p < 0.001), and more dissected lymph nodes (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic rectal surgery performed by ESSQS-certified surgeons was significantly associated with improved short-term outcomes. This demonstrates the utility of the ESSQS certification system.