Background and objective: To assess the effect of surgeon sex on short- and long-term outcomes after colon cancer resections.
Methods: Clinical data of patients who underwent colon cancer resections between 2010 and 2020 at Helsingborg Hospital, Sweden, were retrospectively obtained from medical records. The sex of the surgeon of each procedure was recorded. Morbidity, mortality, and long-term survival were compared in patients operated by male and female surgeons.
Results: Colon cancer resections were performed by 23 male and 9 female surgeons in 1113 patients (79% elective, 21% emergent). After elective surgery, there was no difference in postoperative complications, 30-day mortality, or long-term survival between patients operated by male and female surgeons. Following emergent resections, the complication rate was significantly lower in patients operated by female surgeons (41.3% vs 58.1%, p = 0.019). Similarly, the rates of R1-resections (0% vs 5.2%, p = 0.039), reoperations (3.8% vs 14.2%, p = 0.014), and intensive care unit (ICU) care (6.3% vs 17.4%, p = 0.018) were significantly lower for patients operated by female surgeons, but there was no difference in 30-day mortality (6.3% vs 5.2%, p = 0.767). Cox regression analysis showed that long-term and cancer-free survival in patients emergently operated by male surgeons was significantly shorter than that of patients operated by female surgeons (hazard ratio = 1.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-2.8), p = 0.001 and hazard ratio = 1.7 (95% CI = 1.1-2.7), p = 0.016).
Conclusions: The short- and long-term outcome after elective colon cancer resections were similar in patients operated by male and female surgeons. The outcome following emergent resections performed by female surgeons compared favorably with that of male surgeons, with fewer complications and reoperations and better long-term survival.
Keywords: Surgeon sex; colon cancer; elective colon resection; emergency colon resection; long-term outcomes; short-term outcomes.