Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40413321›Full record

ArticleAnnals of surgical oncology2025

Essential Knowledge and Skills for the Practice of Pediatric Surgical Oncology: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study by the APSA Cancer Committee.

Elisabeth T Tracy, Abigail Engwall, Erin G Brown, Raphael C Sun, Ashley Walther, Catherine B Beckhorn, Dave Lal, David H Rothstein, Jonathan Roach, Nicholas Cost and 5 more

Abstract readConsensus Statement
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of surgical oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Elisabeth T TracyDivision of Pediatric Surgery, UNC Children's Hospital, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Lisa_tracy@post.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3459-2772
Abigail EngwallDepartment of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
Erin G BrownDivision of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of California Davis Children's Hospital, Sacramento, CA, USA.
Raphael C SunDepartment of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Ashley WaltherDivision of Pediatric Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Catherine B BeckhornDuke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
Dave LalDivision of Pediatric Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
David H RothsteinDepartment of Surgery, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Jonathan RoachDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Children's Hospital of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Nicholas CostDepartment of Surgery, Division of Urology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Surgical Oncology Program at the Children's Hospital Colorado, Colorado, USA.
Barrie S RichFeinstein/Northwell, Cohen Children's Medical Center, Queens, NY, USA.
Peter F EhrlichC.S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Jennifer H AldrinkDepartment of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Nationwide Children's Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
David RodebergDepartment of Surgery, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
KidsCancerSurgery* Research Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeChildhood cancer care has become increasingly complex. However, the exclusive practice of pediatric surgical oncology is not feasible for most surgeons taking care of these children. Thus, the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Cancer Committee conducted a modified Delphi study to reach a national consensus on the essential knowledge, skills, and institutional setting for surgeons caring for children with cancer.

methodsAfter development of candidate statements, the APSA Cancer Committee conducted a modified Delphi process consisting of two classic rounds and a third consensus round. Statements were reviewed by an expert panel consisting of pediatric surgical oncologists, pediatric medical oncologists, pediatric surgery program directors, general pediatric, recent pediatric surgery graduates. Consensus was defined a priori as Cronbach's alpha > 0.8 and greater than 80% panel agreement.

resultsInitial candidate statements comprised eight domains including solid tumors, metastasis, and institution resources. After review by the expert panel consisting of 35 panelists from 24 institutions across 18 US states and Canada, 177 statements achieved consensus. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha 0.989, 0.987, and 0.987 after rounds 1-3). A major emphasis of the consensus statements was on the importance of multidisciplinary care, including multidisciplinary surgical teams for complex resections, and knowledge of current tumor-specific management principles.

conclusionsThis study represents the first national consensus study of the knowledge and skills essential for pediatric surgical oncology. These results should inform ongoing conversations about how best to match children with cancer to the surgeons equipped to care for them without creating additional barriers for families.

Indexed as

Clinical CompetenceHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeNeoplasmsPediatricsSurgeonsSurgical OncologyChildDelphi TechniqueHumansSocieties, MedicalPediatric cancerPediatric surgical oncologyRegionalization of careSpecializationSurgical quality

Identifiers

PMID40413321

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.