A bit of history…

We find the origin of Surgical Oncology in the cancer institutes initially founded as “Radium Institutes” in many countries in the beginning of the previous century. Soon it was realised that also surgeons should have important tasks in these cancer centres.

By definition surgical oncology is the branch of surgery which focuses on the surgical management of malignant neoplasms.

Most often surgical oncologist refers to a general surgical oncologist, but thoracic surgical oncologists, gynaecologic oncologists, urologists and so forth can all be considered surgeons who specialise in treating cancer patients.

As we recommend in our core curriculum for the specialist training in surgical oncology a broad knowledge is needed of fundamental biology of cancer including  etiology and epidemiology, natural history, cancer biology as well as tumour immunology.

The importance of training surgeons who sub-specialise in cancer surgery lies in evidence, supported by a number of clinical trials, that outcomes in surgical cancer care are partially associated to surgeon volume, i.e. the more cancer cases a surgeon treats, the more proficient he becomes, and his or her patient experience improved survival rates as a result.

But for appropriate education in surgical oncology a surgeon must work in a multidisciplinary environment with interaction between surgeons, medical oncologists, radiotherapists, radiologists, pathologists, basic scientists and nurses. Good cancer care also includes the use of modern, advanced and expensive equipment.

Over the years our armamentarium is enlarged and many new fields of activities were added, underlining the intensity and wide range of activities by surgical oncologists. The list is long: Microsurgery enabled the performing of free flaps, needed for difficult reconstructions. Endoscopic experience now culminates in minimal invasive surgery, with possible usefulness in oncology.

Not only regional chemotherapy (perfusions and infusions), also the neoadjuvant approach and peroperative radiotherapy, all with specific technical aspects, are fields of research for surgical oncologists. Radioguided surgery is helpful e.g. in optimizing the regional surgery.

We have seen a change of many concepts: work of surgical oncologists, tested in good clinical research made that the super radical approach is replaced by non mutilating surgery. The need of wide surgical exposure now is challenged by the supporters of the minimal invasive approach and we all are aware that the treatment of the regional nodes now is quite different from that in the 70’s and 80’s.

The first idea of forming an association of surgical oncologists was born in the sixties thanks to four surgeons at the CMRS in Paris. Umberto Veronesi, Emiel Van Slooten, Jean Lacour and Wolrad Mattheiem but only more than 10 years later on October 29  1981  in Lausanne   the European Society of Surgical Oncology was founded by the gang of Four together with Fausto  Badellino, Jan Burn, Ioannis Garas, Francesco Mazzeo, Felix Krauer and Andrey Kulakowsky among others.

Some national Societies of surgical oncology are older than ESSO. The first was in 1940, the James Ewing Society later named Society of Surgical Oncology, in the USA; the second was the British Association of Surgical Oncology in 1971, and the third was the Società Italiana di Chirurgia Oncologica in 1976.

Since its foundation in 1981, ESSO has been very active in organising conferences and in offering training fellowships. Every year, a budget of 35.000 euros is made available for up to 10 training fellowships. ESSO publishes, together with BASO, the European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), which aim is to educate and inform about many sub-speciality disciplines of cancer surgery. Starting with 8 issues a year, the number and quality of the manuscripts submitted soon justified an increase to 10 issues a year, and as of 2008, EJSO will become a monthly Journal.

ESSO Secretariat was first accommodated by Professor Mattheiem in Institut Bordet. In 1989, Professor Mattheiem hired a dedicated ESSO office administrator, Fabienne Pilkiewicz, who then dedicated 18 years of her professional life to the society. Thanks to her assiduousness the society now counts close to 2000 members. ESSO Secretariat moved to the site of UCL (Saint-Luc) University in 2001, where it has its own premises, with neighbours like ECCO (formerly FECS), EORTC, ESTRO or EONS.

With ESSO 1200 visits a day, ESSO website is the main communication tool between the society, its members and other interested parties. It is updated regularly and complements the information provided in the monthly electronic newsletter.

ESSO has always been an active member of FECS and will continue to foster co-operation with multidisciplinary organ-related societies and with other oncological societies through the new European Cancer Organisation (ECCO) launched on 24th September 2007.

The aims of our Society shall be to advance the art, science and practice of surgery for the treatment of cancer and to disseminate knowledge to help provide the highest possible standard of surgical treatment for cancer patients.

This is our mission and this is what we will do.