Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Feb 15, 2024; 16(2): 255-258
Published online Feb 15, 2024. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v16.i2.255
Does enhanced recovery after surgery programs improve clinical outcomes in liver cancer surgery?
Belinda Sánchez-Pérez, José M Ramia
Belinda Sánchez-Pérez, Department of General, Digestive and Transplantation Surgery, University Regional Hospital, Málaga 29010, Málaga, Spain
José M Ramia, Department of Surgery, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Alicante 03010, Spain
Author contributions: Sánchez-Pérez B and Ramia JM contributed to design, writing and revision of final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Belinda Sánchez-Pérez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of General, Digestive and Transplantation Surgery, University Regional Hospital, Hospital Regional Universitario Carlos Haya, Málaga 29010, Málaga, Spain. cirbelinda@gmail.com
Received: November 7, 2023
Peer-review started: November 7, 2023
First decision: December 6, 2023
Revised: December 11, 2023
Accepted: January 9, 2024
Article in press: January 9, 2024
Published online: February 15, 2024
Processing time: 86 Days and 14.4 Hours
Abstract

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programs have been widely applied in liver surgery since the publication of the first ERAS guidelines in 2016 and the new recommendations in 2022. Liver surgery is usually performed in oncological patients (liver metastasis, hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, etc.), but the real impact of liver surgery ERAS programs in oncological outcomes is not clearly defined. Theoretical advantages of ERAS programs are: ERAS decreases postoperative complication rates and has been demonstrated a clear relationship between complications and oncological outcomes; a better and faster postoperative recovery should let oncologic teams begin chemotherapeutic regimens on time; prehabilitation and nutrition actions before surgery should also improve the performance status of the patients receiving chemotherapy. So, ERAS could be another way to improve our oncological results. We will discuss the literature about liver surgery ERAS focusing on its oncological implications and future investigations projects.

Keywords: Enhanced recovery after surgery programs; Liver surgery; Key components; Long-term oncological outcomes; Enhanced recovery after surgery compliance

Core Tip: Improved adherence to enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS®) protocols have reduced the occurrence of overall and major complications. The implementation of ERAS® allows early access to adjuvant therapies ERAS® protocols may reduce surgical stress and modulate immune response There is a lack of consensus regarding the cut-off point for compliance with the ERAS® components. More studies are needed to show us the real role of ERAS® in oncological results in the field of liver surgery.