The concept of precision surgery involves much more than a mastery of technical maneuvers.
The definition of such precision is more sophisticated and involves a deeper understanding
of the underlying biological foundation of disease that is then challenged with targeted,
strategic interventions. Rather than treating many to benefit a few, precision surgery
aims to apply surgical therapy to those most likely to benefit and to avoid surgery
in those doomed to fail. In the realm of surgical oncology, the concept of precision
may be decades old. Dr. Blake Cady, in his 1996 Presidential Address to the New England
Surgical Society, summarized this concept well by stating that ‘the art of surgical
oncology is to apply basic principles flexibly to the individual patient.’
1
Herein, previous efforts exemplifying precision medicine will be reviewed, followed
by a series of advancements that are demonstrative of the promise of precision in
surgical oncology.Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 13, 2016
Accepted:
November 14,
2016
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.
