First, I would like to express my sincere thanks to ESCP. It was a great pleasure and honor to be chosen as Japanese traveling fellow 2010. This opportunity enabled me to visit 3 institutions in Europe, prior to the 5th ESCP meeting in Sorrento.
I have been enthusiastic about laparoscopic and robotic surgery for colorectal cancer, and performed the first case at the Fujita Health University in Japan in 2009. So I was keen to meet acknowledged pioneers in the field and observe real procedure there.
I visited Imperial College London, Ospedale di Alessandria and Ospedale Niguarda in Italy under the generous hospitality of Professors Ara Darzi, Giuseppe Spinoglio and Raffaele Pugliese. I enjoyed having meaningful discussion about procedures with them and their colleagues. Through this experience I also reconfirm the importance of Multi-disciplinary team meeting to discuss each other and make a decision about treatment course of the patient.
It was definitely a good experience for me to make a presentation concerning our original technique entitled 'Novel procedure of transanal surgery for selected rectal tumours.' at the fully packed venue.
Finally I would like to show my deep appreciation for Professor Ronan O’Connell, ESCP secretary and keep in touch with all surgeons I met in Europe for further improvement of colorectal surgery.
Hidetoshi Katsuno
Fujita Health University