Teaching modern pancreatic surgery: close relationship between centralization, innovation, and dissemination of care

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic surgery is increasingly moving towards centralization in high-volume centres, supported by evidence on the volume–outcome relationship. At the same time, minimally invasive pancreatic surgery is becoming more and more established worldwide, and interest in new techniques, such as robotic pancreatoduodenectomy, is growing. Such recent innovations are reshaping modern pancreatic surgery, but they also represent new challenges for surgical training in its current form. METHODS: This narrative review presents a chosen selection of literature, giving a picture of the current state of training in pancreatic surgery, together with the authors’ own views, and in the context of centralization and innovation towards minimally invasive techniques. RESULTS: Centralization of pancreatic surgery at high-volume centres, volume–outcome relationships, innovation through minimally invasive technologies, learning curves in both traditional and minimally invasive surgery, and standardized training paths are the different, but deeply interconnected, topics of this article. Proper training is essential to ensure quality of care, but innovation and centralization may represent challenges to overcome with new training models. CONCLUSION: Innovations in pancreatic surgery are introduced with the aim of increasing the quality of care. However, their successful implementation is deeply dependent on dissemination and standardization of surgical training, adapted to fit in the changing landscape of modern pancreatic surgery.