1 Introduction -- 2 A Brief Hystory of This Topic -- 3 Determinants of Outcome in Health Care -- 4 State of The Art in Italy : The Role of Agenas -- 5 Outcome and Quality Control in Surgery -- 6 Outcome in Esophagogastric Surgery -- 7 Outcome in Hepatobiliary Surgery -- 8 Outcome in Pancreatic Surgery -- 9 Outcome in Colorectal Surgery -- 10 Outcome in Surgery of Sarcomas -- 11 Outcome in Breast Surgery -- 12 Outcome in Endocrine Surgery -- 13 Outcome in Thoracic Surgery -- 14 The Specific Role of Minimally Invasive Surgery ( Lap And Robotics ) -- 15 How to Tackle with this Problem in Different European Nations -- 16 Outcome in Usa -- 17 Outcome in Non Oncologic Surgery : is it Worth a Discussion? -- 18 Proposal and Solutions in Italy with Experiences from Different Regions -- 19 Conclusions and Call for Actions.

The book offers a comprehensive review of the relations between volumes and outcomes in oncological surgery especially in Italian hospitals, based on national and regional data. After illustrating the quality-control methodology and the determinants of surgical outcomes, it discusses the volume-outcome relationship in different fields of surgical oncology (cancers of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, hepatopancreatobiliary system, breast, sarcomas etc.) and suggests possible solutions. The latest findings from Europe and the USA are also presented.