New thesis on improved surgical treatment of oesophageal cancer
Eivind Gottlieb-Vedi at the research group Upper GI Surgery, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend his thesis "Improved surgical treatment of oesophageal cancer" on September 10th, 2021. Main Supervisor is Professor Jesper Lagergren.
What's the main focus of your thesis?
Oesohageal cancer has a high mortality rate and only about 20% of all patients are alive 5 years after diagnosis. Surgery is an important part of the treatment and my thesis aims to identify surgery and surgeon factors of importance for long-term survival.
Which are the most important results?
The main results of the thesis show that proficiency for the complex procedure oesophagectomy is gained faster for surgeons of younger age and for surgeons with higher annual operation volume. Moreover, minimally invasive oesophagectomy is associated with better long-term survival compared to traditional open oesophagectomy and resection of a moderate number of lymph nodes is associated with best long-term survival.
How can this new knowledge contribute to the improvement of people's health?
Among patients who are fit enough to undergo surgery only about 40% are alive 5 years after the operation. My thesis emphasizes areas of importance in the surgical treatment that could help improve long-term survival for patients who are treated for oesophageal cancer.
What are your future ambitions?
Currently I am doing a residency at the Ear-Nose-Throat Department at the Karolinska University Hospital and in the future, I plan to conduct research within this field, preferably within the area of head and neck cancer. Furthermore, I aim to continue with research on oesophageal cancer.
Dissertation
Friday September 10th, 2021 at 10:00, venue: Sune Bergströms Aula J3:07, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, or digitally via Zoom.