ONCOLOGICAL, SURGICAL AND GASTROENTERIC PATHOLOGIES

Module General Surgery

Knowledge and understanding

At the end of the course, students will:

• know the main surgical diseases, with particular focus on those of clinical and nutritional relevance;
• understand the indications for surgical treatment and the general principles of the main surgical procedures;
• know basic surgical terminology and fundamental concepts of surgical techniques;
• understand perioperative management and follow-up, especially in oncological patients.

Applying knowledge and understanding

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• recognize the main clinical conditions requiring surgical treatment;
• correlate surgical procedures with patients’ nutritional and metabolic aspects;
• critically interpret essential clinical information in the surgical setting;
• collaborate, within their professional role, in the nutritional management of surgical patients, including follow-up.

Making judgements

Students will be able to:

• critically evaluate clinical and nutritional issues in surgical patients;
• contribute to appropriate care strategies based on scientific evidence.

Communication skills

Students will be able to:

• use appropriate surgical terminology;
• communicate effectively with the multidisciplinary team and patients. 

Learning skills

Students will develop:

• the ability to independently update their knowledge in surgical and nutritional fields;
• skills to integrate surgical and dietetic knowledge in professional practice.

Teaching methods

The course is delivered through in-person lectures and theoretical-practical activities.

Teaching activities are structured as follows:

• Lectures (Didactic Delivery – DE): aimed at providing theoretical knowledge on the main surgical diseases, diagnostic and therapeutic principles, and clinical and nutritional management of surgical patients.
• Interactive activities (Didactic Interaction – DI): guided discussion of clinical cases, topic-focused insights, and student engagement sessions aimed at developing applied knowledge, clinical reasoning, and multidisciplinary integration.

Students may also have the opportunity, on a voluntary basis, to attend clinical observation activities at the instructor’s clinical facility במסגרת elective traineeships, in order to integrate theoretical knowledge with clinical practice.

These teaching methods contribute to achieving the expected learning outcomes, particularly in terms of applied competencies and understanding the role of the dietitian within the multidisciplinary team.

 This is a requirement for professional qualification.

Course contents

The course covers the principles of diagnosis, differential diagnosis, surgical indications, and multidisciplinary management of the main surgical diseases, with particular attention to clinical and nutritional aspects.

The following topics will be addressed:

1. Gastrointestinal oncologic surgery
   • Gastric and esophagogastric junction cancers: clinical presentation, diagnosis, staging, and principles of surgical and multimodal treatment
   • Colorectal cancer: screening, diagnosis, staging, surgical treatment, and nutritional implications
   • Biliary tract and ampullary tumors: clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment
   • Pancreatic cancer: diagnosis, resectability criteria, surgical treatment, and multidisciplinary management
2. Benign gastrointestinal diseases
   • Gallstone disease and its complications: surgical indications and treatment
   • Acute and chronic pancreatitis: clinical features, complications, and therapeutic strategies
   • Diverticular disease of the colon: diagnosis and medical/surgical management
   • Complications of peptic disease and gastroesophageal reflux: indications for surgery
3. Abdominal wall surgery
   • Abdominal wall hernias and incisional hernias: classification, surgical indications, and treatment principles

For each topic, the following aspects will also be discussed:

• perioperative management;
• multidisciplinary approach;
• nutritional aspects and patient follow-up.

Assessment methods

The final assessment consists of an oral examination held in person.

The interview includes at least three questions on two different topics from the course syllabus (at least one covered during lectures) and aims to assess:

• knowledge and understanding of the topics;
• ability to apply knowledge in a clinical context;
• critical thinking and ability to make connections between topics;
• appropriate use of medical-scientific terminology.

The average duration of the oral exam is approximately 20–30 minutes.

Grading criteria

Grades are expressed on a 30-point scale:

• 30 cum laude – 29
  Excellent and comprehensive knowledge; outstanding critical thinking and integration skills; full autonomy in problem solving; clear and precise use of medical terminology.
• 28 – 26
  Good knowledge; appropriate analytical and integrative skills; fair autonomy; clear and appropriate language.
• 25 – 22
  Fair knowledge limited to main topics; partially adequate analytical skills; limited autonomy; sufficiently clear exposition.
• 21 – 18
  Basic knowledge; limited critical skills; simple exposition; application only with guidance.
• Fail
  Insufficient knowledge; inability to apply concepts; inadequate language.

Additional notes

Learning assessment may also be carried out online, should conditions require it. To ensure equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, students may request a personal interview to plan compensatory and/or dispensatory measures according to their needs. Students may also contact the department’s CInAP representative.

Sample exam questions

• Describe the role of lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer surgery, including oncological goals and clinical implications.
• Explain the importance of the mesorectum in rectal cancer surgery and its impact on oncological radicality.
• Discuss the main therapeutic (curative and palliative) strategies in biliary tract tumors, with particular reference to the multidisciplinary approach.
• List and discuss the main complications of gallstone disease and the related surgical indications.
• Describe the main bariatric surgical procedures (restrictive and malabsorptive) and their clinical and nutritional implications.
• Explain the clinical and nutritional management of patients undergoing colorectal surgery.
• Describe perioperative management of the surgical patient, with particular attention to nutritional aspects and follow-up.