Leonardo Bustamante-Lopez1, Jin Ye Yeo2
1Colorectal Medical Group, Adventhealth, Orlando, Florida, USA; 2ACR AME Publishing Company
Correspondence to: Jin Ye Yeo. ACR Editorial Office, AME Publishing Company. Email: acr@amegroups.com
Expert introduction
Dr. Leonardo Bustamante-Lopez (Figure 1) is a Fellow member of the Venezuelan and Brazilian Society of Colorectal Surgery, and also an International Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS). Dr. Bustamante-Lopez did his General Surgery fellowship at the Zulia University, Chiquinquira Hospital in Maracaibo, Venezuela. After that, he did Colorectal training and Doctorate (Ph.D.) at the Sao Paulo University in Brazil. He is on the editorial board of several important international Journals. He frequently reviews articles for these journals.
Figure 1 Dr. Leonardo Bustamante-Lopez
Interview
ACR: Could you share what drove you to specialize in colorectal surgery?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: My colorectal path started with my father's experience in the field. After I became a general surgeon, my experience in the only public Colorectal Department in West Venezuela made me want to specialize and become a better colorectal surgeon. At Sao Paulo University, they gave me the chance to train at the best University in Latin America, with a huge number of patients, and exposed me to every different part of the colorectal field.
ACR: Could you provide a brief overview of the recent publications in laparoscopic colorectal surgery?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: Minimal invasive surgery has an exponential growth in publications, and also in everyday patient outcomes. The improvements for the patient with these procedures are undeniable. We have some publications about oncological benefits and the best recovery rate for major surgeries (1-3).
ACR: Are there any recent advancements in laparoscopic colorectal surgery that stood out to you? How are you incorporating these developments into your practice?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: As we discussed previously the advances and benefits of minimal invasive surgery are undeniable and everyday research has been published with this information. We are trying to perform every surgery with a minimally invasive approach. Some patients had contraindications for the procedure and still had open surgeries. Unfortunately, those patients are the ones with co-morbidities that should benefit more from the minimally invasive approach. As researchers, we need to focus on these patients, to improve the quality of life and surgical results.
ACR: Could you share some of the challenges you face as a colorectal surgeon, and how you overcame them?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: A new challenge for colorectal surgeons is the number of patients that come in every day to our public hospital with surgical diagnoses. Even in developing countries, the health system does not have an answer for this problem. We are trying to overcome this problem by identifying and prioritizing patients with worse but curable conditions.
ACR: In your opinion, what are the most pressing challenges in colorectal surgery today, and how is your research addressing these issues?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: The molecular bases of the diseases in a pressing issue. We are working together with molecular medicine, to understand, and treat those diseases in a better way. The individual approach is one of the new focuses for treatment in colorectal disease research.
ACR: As a member of the editorial board for several international journals, how do you balance your responsibilities as a reviewer with your clinical and research duties?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: That is a very difficult point, having a family, a job, research, social life, and social media activities, leaves little to no time to do other tasks. But we always find time for these responsibilities. Reviewing papers is very important.
ACR: How has your experience been as an Editorial Board Member of ACR?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: So far it has been very good. It has been a pleasure and a very enjoyable experience.
ACR: As an Editorial Board Member, what are your expectations for ACR?
Dr. Bustamante-Lopez: The editorial expectation is always to improve the journal and be able to publish quality papers.
References
- Bustamante-Lopez LA, Nahas SC, Nahas CSR, et al. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT- VERSUS LEFT-SIDED COLON CANCERS? DOES SIDE MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE IN LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP?. Arq Bras Cir Dig 2019;32(4):e1479.
- Bustamante-Lopez LA, Albert M, Monson JRT. Lateral lymph node dissection and urogenital function with and without neoadjuvant treatment. Transl Cancer Res 2022;11(4):599-602.
- Nahas CSR, Nahas SC, Marques CFS, et al. Prognostic factors for local recurrence in patients with rectal cancer submitted to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and total mesorectal excision. Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2024;79:100464.