Education
- Medical Degree (MD / equivalent in Medicine and Surgery)
He completed his medical training in Italy, qualifying as a physician and surgeon.
- Specialization in General Surgery
Postgraduate surgical residency focused on general surgery, later concentrating on colorectal and gastrointestinal surgery.
- Advanced training in colorectal and minimally invasive surgery
Further clinical and research training in:
- laparoscopic surgery
- robotic colorectal surgery
- oncologic (cancer) surgery techniques
- Academic / Research training
Involvement in international surgical research programs and collaborations (including institutions in Italy and the United States, such as academic medical centers like Mayo Clinic collaborations in research contexts).
Biography
Richard Sassun is a surgeon-researcher working primarily in the field of colorectal and minimally invasive surgery. He is associated with major academic surgical centers including the University of Milan (Italy) and the Mayo Clinic (USA), where he contributes to both clinical practice and surgical research.
His work focuses on complex colorectal diseases and cancer surgery, with a strong emphasis on improving surgical outcomes through evidence-based and minimally invasive techniques.
He has participated in multi-institutional research collaborations and has authored peer-reviewed studies on colorectal oncology and surgical innovation.
Main Research Interests
- Colorectal cancer surgery
Surgical techniques, staging, and long-term oncological outcomes.
- Minimally invasive surgery
Development and evaluation of laparoscopic and robotic surgical approaches to reduce complications and recovery time.
- Inflammatory bowel and benign colorectal disease
Management of conditions such as:
- diverticular disease
- fistulas and complex anorectal disorders
- chronic inflammatory bowel complications
- Surgical oncology outcomes research
Studying survival rates, recurrence patterns, and quality-of-life after colorectal cancer surgery.
- Robotic and advanced surgical techniques
Optimization of robotic-assisted procedures, including learning curves and surgical precision improvements.
- Postoperative recovery and complications
Research on reducing infection, improving healing, and enhancing patient recovery after major abdominal surgery.
1. Clinical Research in Colorectal Surgery
2. Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Research
3. Benign Colorectal Disease Studies
4. Multicenter and Collaborative Research
5. Scientific Publications and Peer Review
6. Focus on Evidence-Based Surgery
1. Anorectal melanoma – immunotherapy vs chemotherapy
- Neoadjuvant immunotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy in anorectal melanoma
- Published in British Journal of Surgery (2024)
- Focus: comparing immunotherapy and chemotherapy outcomes in rare anorectal melanoma cases.
2. Rectal cancer treatment response
- Age matters: Early-onset rectal cancer exhibits higher pathological complete response
- Published in Annals of Surgical Oncology (2025)
- Focus: younger patients showing better response to rectal cancer treatment.
3. Surgical technique research (colorectal surgery)
- Application of a right-sided colectomy anastomotic leak score
- Published in Journal of Surgical Research (2025)
- Focus: predicting risk of leakage after bowel surgery using scoring systems.
4. Diverticular disease surgery standardization
- Standardizing elective surgery in diverticular disease (2025)
- Focus: when and how surgery should be standardized for diverticulitis and diverticular disease.
5. Broader colorectal cancer / surgical oncology work
He has multiple additional peer-reviewed publications involving:
- robotic and laparoscopic colorectal surgery
- Crohn’s disease surgery outcomes
- stoma-free survival after rectal cancer surgery
- surgical learning curves and outcomes in minimally invasive surgery
