Zoe Garoufalia interviews Marcos Gómez Ruiz, about the MIRCAST study and Global Reach webinar.
Dr Gómez Ruiz is an internationally renowned expert minimally invasive and robotic surgeon at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital and an experienced proctor in robotic surgery. He is also the chief investigator for MIRCAST study (Minimally Invasive Right Colectomy Anastomosis Study) - an international prospective cohort study endorsed by the ESCP. He talked to ESCP about the MIRCAST study and the contribution of the Global Reach webinar in collaborative studies, communication and discussion.
MIRCAST is a prospective, international, multi-center, 4-parallel-cohort study with the objective to prospectively evaluate postoperative recovery, hospital stays, wound complications, severe complications, and mid-term results (hernia, recurrence) of right colectomy, comparing intracorporeal vs extracorporeal anastomosis and comparing laparoscopic vs robotic techniques.
Inclusion criteria are: age older than 18 years, existence of tumor in the right colon with indication for right colectomy, expectancy of life bigger than 3 months, ECOG score equal or below 2, and a patient willing to sign the consent form and have a 2-year follow-up.
So far the study has included more than 800 patients. The centers taking part in the MIRCAST study should have experience of more than 30 cases before including the first patient in the study and they should have research support and experience.
As Dr Ruiz highlights "The best thing about these collaborative studies is that they allow us to make big progress in research in Europe and in the world". He also makes a special note for the Global Reach webinar which made possible to discuss and comment the huge benefits of these international collaborations, which are instrumental to create evidence in the field of colorectal surgery.
