50 Landmark Papers every Colorectal Surgeon Should Know

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. Fergal J. Fleming, MB BCh BAO, MD, FRCS is assistant professor of surgery and oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He has been a Fellow in the URMC Division of Colorectal Surgery since 2009. Dr. Fleming was awarded his medical degree from the University College of Dublin, Ireland in 1998. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Dr. Fleming's surgical residency included extensive training in general, vascular and hepatobiliary surgery, as well as dedicated training in colorectal surgery. He was successfully awarded the Intercollegiate Specialist Examination (UK and Ireland) in general surgery with a sub-specialty interest in colorectal surgery in 2009. In addition to being licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York, Dr. Fleming is on the Specialist Register of the Irish Medical Council in recognition of his specialist training in the field of surgery. Throughout his clinical training, Dr. Fleming's academic career flourished with numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals, as well as distinguished prizes and awards, including a Surgical Research Fellowship in 2002 and the Irish Journal of Medical Science Doctor Award, Surgical Section in 2004. He was also awarded a diploma in Cancer Chemoprevention from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland in 2007.

Section One: Functional Disorders of the Pelvic Floor, Bowel function after laparoscopic posterior sutured rectopexy versus ventral mesh rectopexy for rectal prolapse: a double-blind, randomised single-centre study., Efficacy of Sacral Nerve Stimulation for Fecal Incontinence Results of a Multicenter Double-Blind Crossover Study, PROSPER: a randomised comparison of surgical treatments for rectal prolapse, New operation for rectal prolapse., Section Two: Rectal Cancer, Role of circumferential resection margin involvement in the local recurrence of rectal cancer, Preoperative versus postoperative chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer, Operative versus nonoperative treatment for stage0 distal rectal cancer following chemoradiation therapy: long-term results, Preoperative Radiotherapy Combined with Total Mesorectal Excision for Resectable Rectal Cancer, Effect of the plane of surgery achieved on local recurrence in patients with operable rectal cancer: a prospective study using data from the MRC CR07 and NCIC-CTG CO16 randomised clinical trial, Defunctioning stoma reduces symptomatic anastomotic leakage after low anterior resection of the rectum for cancer: a randomized multicenter trial., Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of Circumferential Resection Margin Predicts Disease-Free Survival and Local Recurrence: 5-Year Follow-Up results of the MERCURY Study, Effect of Laparoscopic-Assisted Resection vs Open Resection of Stage II or III Rectal Cancer on Pathologic Outcomes: The ACOSOG Z6051 Randomized Clinical Trial., The evolution of pelvic exenteration practice at a single center: Lessons learned from over 500 cases, Neoadjuvant (Chemo)radiotherapy With Total Mesorectal Excision Only Is Not Sufficient to Prevent Lateral Local Recurrence in Enlarged Nodes: Results of the Multicenter Lateral Node Study of Patients With Low cT3/4 Rectal Cancer, Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision Why, When, and How, Reappraisal of the 5 centimetre rule of distal excision for carcinoma of the rectum: a study of distal intramural spread and of patients’ survival, Recurrence and survival after Total Mesorectal Excision for rectal cancer, Endoscopic surgery in the rectum., Improved survival with preoperative radiotherapy in resectable rectal cancer, Section Three: Hemorrhoids, Comparison of stapled haemorrhoidopexy with traditional excisional surgery for haemorrhoidal disease (eTHoS): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, Haemorrhoids--postulated pathogenesis and proposed prevention., Section Four: Diverticulitis, Laparoscopic Peritoneal Lavage or Sigmoidectomy for Perforated Diverticulitis with Purulent Peritonitis: A Multicenter, parallel-group, randomized, open-label trial., Surgery versus conservative management for recurrent and ongoing left-sided diverticulitis (DIRECT trial): an open-label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, Randomized Clinical Trial of Antibiotics in Acute Uncomplicated Diverticulitis, Section Five: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, laparoscopic Ileocaecal Resection Versus Infliximab For Terminal Ileitis In Crohn’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled, Open-Label, Multicentre Trial, Crohn’s disease management after intestinal resection: a randomised trial, Recurrence of Crohn’s Disease After Ileocolic Resection Is Not Affected by Anastomotic Type: Results of a Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial, Are Random Biopsies Stills Useful for The Detection of Neoplasia Inpatients with IBD Undergoing Surveillance Colonoscopy with Chromoendoscopy?, Long-term Results of the Side-to-side Isoperistaltic Strictureplasty in Crohn Disease: 25-year Follow-up and Outcomes, Regional ileitis; a pathologic and clinical entity., Proctocolectomy with Ileal Reservoir and Anal Anastomosis, Section Six: Colon Cancer, Oxaliplatin, Flurouracil, and Leucovorin as Adjuvant Treatment for Colon Cancer, Duration of Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Stage III Colon Cancer, Standardized surgery for colonic cancer: complete mesocolic excision and central ligation--technical notes and outcomes., Prevention of colorectal cancer by colonoscopic polypectomy, Survival after laparoscopic surgery versus open surgery for colon cancer: long-term outcome of a randomised clinical trial (COLOR trial)., Colon Cancer Survival Is Associated With Increasing Number of Lymph Nodes Analyzed: A Secondary Survey of Intergroup Trial INT-0089, The Results of Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in 1200 Patients with Peritoneal Malignancy, Genetic alterations during colorectal-tumor development, Hereditary Factors in Cancer: Study of Two Large Midwestern Kindreds., Section Seven: Anal SCC, HPV Vaccine against Anal HPV Infection and Anal Intraepithelial Neoplasia, Combined Preoperative Radiation and Chemotherapy for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Anal Canal, Section Eight: Fissure, Internal sphincterotomy is superior to topical nitroglycerin in the treatment of chronic anal fissure: Results of a randomized, controlled trial by the Canadian Colorectal Surgical Trials Group, A randomised, prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of glyceryl trinitrate ointment in treatment of anal fissure., A comparison of botulinum toxin and saline for the treatment of chronic anal fissure, Maintenance therapy with unprocessed bran in the prevention of acute anal fissure recurrence, Section Nine: Anorectal Sepsis, Perianal Abscesses and Fistulas: A study of 1023 Patients, Clinical examination, endosonography, and MR imaging in preoperative assessment of fistula in ano: comparison with outcome-based reference standard., A classification of fistula-in-ano., Section Ten: Enhanced Recovery, A clinical pathway to accelerate recovery after colonic resection.,