James Tankel

Board certified general and thoracic surgeon, Shaare Tzedek, Jerusalem. Retired fellow in thoracic and upper GI surgery @McGill but really just a dad to 4 boys

[EAES @EAES_eu]

Meet the Expert: Lorenzo Ferri 🍴

Connect with a world leader in Upper GI and Thoracic surgery at #EAES2026.

🔹 Oesophageal & gastric cancer mastery
🔹 Neoadjuvant & metastatic research
📅 24 June | 12:30 | Athens 🔗 Book your lunch here: https://t.co/hxRMsr1v9a

[ELIXR Conference @ELIXRConference]

Ready for an unforgettable few days at #ELIXR26? 🩺✨

Have you grabbed your ticket yet?

Space is filling up quickly and you won’t want to miss it!

Secure your spot below before registration closes 👇 #ELIXR26

https://t.co/E2jSAgU5MD

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

[Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery @JTraumAcuteSurg]

❇️Best of EGS❇️

"Evidence-based, cost-effective management of perforated peptic ulcer disease: An algorithm of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Emergency General Surgery Algorithms Working Group"

Since the advent of PPIs to treat peptic ulcer disease, surgery is reserved for the treatment of complications of the disease, and the most common is perforation. We present the most contemporary algorithm to treat perforated peptic ulcer disease.

https://t.co/y6Eqn7h8VG

[Elvina Almuradova @Dr_ElvinaA]

ctDNA dynamics correlated with pathologic response more closely than PET, and re-emergence of ctDNA predicted recurrence a median of ~7 months before imaging.
@Larvol @OncoAlert

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

@ziadtawad @ISDE_net @SAGES_Updates @SSATNews @JessieAElliott @ElliotServaisMD @LFerri123 @MarkarSheraz @Daniela_Molena We have had a bunch of balloons fail and them slip out

[European Hernia Society @eurohernias]

Together with @AmericanHernia we are recommending SmallBites closure since our first guidelines in 2015 (updated in 2022). Nice to see additional evidence supporting this!

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

For patients with eso adeno persistent or developed myosteatosis, not sarcopenia, during neoadj chemo is associated with perioperative outcomes + impaired survival!

Quality not quantity!

@JonathanCools
@LFerri123

https://t.co/zALAfa3yit

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

first person to use this in neoadjuvant therapy wins a gold star !

[Dr Rishabh Jain @DrRishabhOnco]

KRAS G12D - long considered “undruggable.”
Now we finally have real clinical signal.

Concurrent @nejm publication in #elcc26

Setidegrasib (ASP3082), a KRAS G12D degrader, shows promising activity in heavily pretreated NSCLC.

🧪 Population
2L+ KRAS G12D NSCLC
Most had prior chemo + IO

💉 Results (600 mg weekly)
ORR: 36%
mPFS: 8.3 mo
2L/3L subgroup → ORR 38%, mPFS 11.2 mo

⚠️ Safety
Infusion reactions common (80%) but manageable
Grade ≥3 TRAEs: 9%

🎯 Takeaway
First meaningful signal in KRAS G12D NSCLC
Not practice-changing yet
But clearly practice-watching 🔬

📖 Full paper in comment ⬇️

#LungCancer #NSCLC #KRAS
@OncoAlert @myesmo @esmo_open @ASCO

[ISDE.net @ISDE_net]

Join our expert webinar on esophageal cancer surgery: Lymphadenectomy extent, techniques & complications 📅 March 25, 2026 ⏰ 13:30–15:00 GMT Register: https://t.co/5rzCvROk39
#EsophagealCancer #SurgicalOncology #ISDE

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

Another nail in the coffin for CRT? Patients die of systemic recurrence so need more effective systemic treatment

[BJS @BJSurgery]

Survival After Pathological Complete Response Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy vs Chemoradiotherapy in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
➡️ https://t.co/vVEWLBc67v

📊 Individual patient data from 7 phase III RCTs (n=1,044 ESCC patients, 6 countries)
💊 NAC vs 🔥 NACRT → pCR rates: 6.9% vs 34.2%
🔎 Among patients achieving pCR (n=192):
 • 5-year OS: 97.5% (NAC) vs 70.4% (NACRT)
 • 5-year RFS: 80.8% (NAC) vs 63.7% (NACRT)
📈 Multivariable analysis confirmed a significant survival advantage for NAC in the pCR subgroup

🎯 Take-home: pCR is not biologically equivalent across modalities. ESCC patients achieving pCR after NAC have an exceptionally favourable prognosis—raising the question of whether this group could be considered for future surgery-avoidance or watch-and-wait strategies.

Work by Jun Okui , Satoru Matsuda , Kengo Nagashima , Yasunori Sato , Hirofumi Kawakubo , Thomas Ruhstaller , Peter Thuss-Patience , Magnus Nilsson , Fredrik Klevebro , Lijie Tan , Shaoyuan Zhang , Thomas Aparicio , Guillaume Piessen , Charlène van der Zijden , Bianca Mostert , Bas P L Wijnhoven , Takahiro Tsushima , Hiroya Takeuchi , Ken Kato , Yuko Kitagawa

#SoMe4Surgery #MedTwitter #SurgEd #Surgery @RCPSGTrainees @aecirujanos @SEIQuirurgica @iss_sic #MedicalTechniques @BJSAcademy @young_bjs @BJSOpen @evanscolorectal @robhinchliffe1 @bplwijn @MalinASund @nfmkok @TejedorPat @paulo_sutt @PVaughanShaw @JJEarnshaw @juliomayol @ksoreide #some4UGI #uppergi #esophagealcancer #gastriccancer #reflux @ISDE_net @Augishealth @roux_group @T4UGIS @SARONG_Trial @YoungIFSO #bariatricsurgery

[Biniam Kidane @biniamkidaneMD]

Reliable Longterm all cause mortality risk prediction is of critical importance for profound shared decision making with patients.
Great foresight from @STS_CTsurgery leadership to prioritize this & great work from the stellar RAC team!
@ISDE_net @SalgiFoundation @thoracic

[Jonathan Spicer MD PhD @DoctorJSpicer]

Here are the surgical outcomes data from KN671! A valuable read to better understand the impact of perioperative immunotherapy for patients with resectable disease! @moisheliberman @JonesDavid2013 https://t.co/wvxdRULd7u

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

I have long had my doubts about REBOA but in specific situations it may be life-saving...to early to chuck it out but maybe less 'sexy' than we once thought

[Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open (TSACO) @TSACO_AAST]

REBOA = higher mortality (47% vs 36%), more transfusions, longer time to OR. No survival benefit. Check the new study by Hatchimonji et al. https://t.co/RnQGoCdJXI and Jansen's commentary https://t.co/s3qqRcWi6C.

@jhatchmd @dianehaddadmd @pdowzicky @markseamonmd

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

What a great review - really strongly recommend a quick read as this will likely form the basis of 'clinical' trials

[Jonathan Spicer MD PhD @DoctorJSpicer]

So incredibly proud of @MHShahzad5 @ronirayes and @JonathanCools for getting this awesome review. The sum of so much work on Neutrophil Extracellular Trap biology in cancer and some insights on how we may transition to the therapeutic space, now 15 years since we first conceived that NETs might play a role in cancer progression! https://t.co/776Sw9i4do

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

After 2yrs @MThoracics, I decided to complete a 2nd residency in thoracics. Its been tough whilst setting up an upper GI practice but yesterday I passed the exit exam. Thanks for lighting the fire @DoctorJSpicer @JonathanCools @sarahnajmeh @LFerri123 and of course @YaelTankel !

[Jonathan Spicer MD PhD @DoctorJSpicer]

To any health care institution or headhunter seeking world-class physicians and surgeons, the Quebec legistlature has passed a new special law severly impacting the civil and professional liberties of medical practitioners in our province, where average remuneration was already one of the lowest in North America, in a jursidiction with one of the highest tax rates in the world. You now have the opportunity to recruit top medical talent to your institution! Quebec medical professionals are accustomed to working in a resource limited setting, in high-volume practices for discounted rates. Now's your chance to recruit and you can thank @cdube_sante, @francoislegault and the @coalitionavenir for this health care fire sale!

[Lorenzo Ferri MD PhD @LFerri123]

Join me and ⁦⁦@DonIngber⁩ for a webinar this Thursday Oct 30th discussing patient specific organ-chips as a new paradigm in functional precision oncology. A true bench to bedside story. ⁦@mcgillu⁩ ⁦@wyssinstitute⁩ ⁦@emulateinc⁩ https://t.co/fVWbJZ9EWe

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

Until next year!

@ISDE_net @MarkarSheraz @LFerri123

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

Learning from the masters about benign upper gi heartsink problems @ISDE_net

[James Tankel @JamieTankel]

Fantastic presidential lecture at @isde with the formidable @LFerri123