The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Dec 2023
ReviewRefining the thoracic surgical oncology regionalization standards for esophageal surgery in Ontario, Canada: Moving from good to better.
The consolidation of surgical practices has been suggested to improve patient outcomes for complex surgeries. In 2005, Ontario Health-Cancer Care Ontario released the Thoracic Surgical Oncology Standards to facilitate the regionalization process at thoracic centers in Ontario, Canada. This work describes the quality-improvement process involved in updating the minimum surgical volume and supporting requirement recommendations for thoracic centers to further optimize patient care for esophageal cancer. ⋯ We have described the process involved in updating the provincial minimum volume threshold and the appropriate support services for esophageal cancer surgery in Ontario.