50 Landmark Papers every Colorectal Surgeon Should Know

There has been an exponential increase in the volume and quality of published research relating to colorectal disease over the last decades. This book identifies the 50 key scientific articles in the field of colorectal disease and colorectal surgery and through expert reflections and editorial perspectives explains why these papers are important. Influential contributors who have shaped the practice of modern Colorectal Surgery comment on the Landmark Papers that have shaped and defined the specialty.

Among thousands of articles, a small fraction are truly “game changing.” Such studies form the foundations of colorectal surgery today and the selection of papers within this book provide the 50 landmark papers every 21st-century colorectal surgeon needs to know. A commentary to each carefully selected paper explains why these papers are so important, thus providing every surgeon with the foundation stones of knowledge in this fast-moving area.

A valuable reference not only to the established surgeon, but also to colorectal surgery residents and trainees, as well as to more experienced surgeons as they continue to learn new techniques and approaches and to improve their knowledge of colorectal disease and treatments. The papers provide an evidence-based resource for those surgeons preparing for professional exams and may inspire clinicians to produce new research.

John RT Monson MD, FRCS, FASCRS is a colorectal surgeon who trained in Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since 2024, he has served as a Professor of Surgery and Director of Intestinal Failure at Northwell Health, New York. He served as the Chair of Colorectal Surgery and Digestive Health and Surgery Institute at Advent Health from 2016 until 2024.  His areas of expertise include the use of minimally invasive technologies in colorectal cancer treatment, including Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEMS) laparoscopy and robotic surgery. Dr. Monson is credited with leading the development of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in the United Kingdom. He is a former Chair of the U.K.'s National Training Program. His research encompasses a broad range of cancer-related areas including the development of national standards and qualitative assessments of decision-making in cancer care. .An internationally recognized lecturer and award-winning author of more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 book chapters, he is currently coeditor of Diseases of Colon and Rectum.

He is a former vice president of the British Association of Surgical Oncology, has served on the Executive Council of the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.  He is a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and served in many roles including on their Executive Council and as Chairman of the Research Committee.  He was a founding member and vice president of the OSTRiCh Consortium on Rectal Cancer Care which ultimately became the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC). He is currently a member of the NAPRC Executive Committee.  He is a Fellow of all four Royal Colleges of Surgeons – Ireland, England, Edinburgh and Glasgow – and an Honorary Fellow of three of the four.

Lawrence Lee MD PhD joined McGill University division of General Surgery as a colon and rectal surgeon in 2017. His main speciality clinical interests relate to the treatment of colorectal neoplasia and inflammatory bowel disease. In particular, Dr. Lee specializes in advanced minimally invasive and endoluminal approaches to the treatment of colorectal disease using flexible endoscopy, transanal endoscopic surgery, and Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (TA-TME). His research interests include health technology assessment and comparative effectiveness research for surgical technologies and innovations, with emphasis on the practice of colorectal surgery. Other areas of research include perioperative assessment, and functional and patient-reported outcomes after major abdominal surgery. Dr. Lee completed his General Surgery residency at McGill during which time he completed an MSc in Epidemiology and a PhD in Healthcare Economics. He then completed a Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida. He is the recipient of the SAGES Researcher-in-Training award, among other national and international prizes and scholarships for his research and clinical work.

Dr. Lee is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and a diplomate of the American Board of Surgery, and holds a specialist certificate from the Collège des Médecins du Québec.                                                                                            

Dr Fergal Fleming, MB BCh BAO MD MPH FRCSI FACS is a colorectal surgeon and an Associate Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.? Dr. Fleming was awarded his medical degree from the University College of Dublin, Ireland in 1998. He was successfully awarded the Intercollegiate Specialist Examination (UK and Ireland) in general surgery with a sub-specialty interest in colorectal surgery in 2009. He then completed a fellowship in colorectal surgery at the University of Rochester medical center, Rochester, New York. He has been on staff at the University of Rochester as a colorectal surgeon since 2011with a clinical interest and expertise in the management of rectal cancer.

He has an academic interest in optimizing colorectal cancer care delivery and outcomes. He is co-lead of the rectal cancer program at the University of Rochester, which is a National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) CoC accredited site. He is Clinical Director for Surgical Health Outcomes and Research Enterprise (SHORE), a surgically focused health outcomes group at the University of Rochester. He is also a member of the executive board for NAPRC.