COST Action DISSECT — Working Group 1 (WG1)
Dear colleagues and friends,
Please read the information below carefully before deciding whether to participate.
You are invited to take part in a research survey on surgical oncology training conducted by COST Action CA24158 Disparities In Surgical Specialization and Education in Cancer Training (DISSECT) Working Group 1 (WG1): Surgical Oncology Training. Your contribution is very valuable, and we would be grateful if you decide to participate. Before deciding whether to participate, please read the information below carefully.
The purpose of this survey is to map existing surgical oncology training programmes internationally, identify structural gaps, and provide evidence to support the development of a harmonised European and global training framework. The findings will help inform future policy and training improvements in surgical oncology worldwide.
If you agree to participate, you will complete an online questionnaire with multiple-choice and optional open-ended questions. The survey asks about your country's training pathway, curriculum structure, assessment methods, and perceived gaps in surgical oncology training. The survey should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.
This survey is intended for participants who are 18 years of age or older and who are surgical oncologists, surgical oncology trainees, fellows, surgeons involved in cancer surgery, or researchers in a related surgical field — at any career stage — from any country worldwide.
Participation is entirely voluntary. You may choose not to answer any question and may stop at any time before submitting your responses. Choosing not to take part will not affect you in any way.
This survey is low risk. Some questions may prompt reflection on your training experiences and national systems, which some participants may find slightly uncomfortable. While there may be no direct personal benefit from survey participation itself, the survey website will provide access to teaching materials and resources that may be useful to participants. Participants will also be able to find information about COST Action DISSECT and its activities, including ways to stay informed or become involved. Your responses may help improve surgical oncology training standards and inform future international initiatives.
Your responses will be treated confidentially. You do not need to provide identifying information unless you choose to leave contact details for follow-up. Any email address provided for this purpose will be stored separately from your survey responses and used only as described in the survey. Responses will be analysed in aggregated and de-identified form, stored securely, and accessed only by authorised members of the research team. No personally identifiable information will appear in publications, presentations, or reports arising from this work. Data will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection and research governance requirements, including GDPR where relevant. If you provide contact details for follow-up, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of that information, where applicable.
Research data will be stored securely for a period consistent with institutional research policies and may be used in future academic publications, conference presentations, COST DISSECT WG1 reports, and development of training frameworks or guidelines. Only anonymised or de-identified data may be shared with collaborators.
Survey responses may inform future scientific presentations and publications arising from this work. Participation in this survey alone does not qualify for authorship. Contributors may be acknowledged collectively, where appropriate. Individuals who make additional substantial contributions to the design, analysis, interpretation, or writing of future outputs may be invited to join subsequent collaborative work and may be considered for authorship in accordance with standard journal authorship criteria.
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact the WG1 Surgical Oncology Training research team at dissectcostaction@gmail.com and include "TRAIN-DISSECT Survey – Query" in the subject line.
This study is conducted as part of COST Action CA24158 (DISSECT), funded by the European Union.