Bas P.L. Wijnhoven

Bas P.L. Wijnhoven, MD, PhD is Professor of Surgery and Head of Upper GI and Esophageal Surgery at Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam. He is a leading esophageal surgeon and clinical trialist in the Netherlands and Europe, and a principal investigator in several landmark trials that have shaped modern esophageal cancer management—most notably the CROSS trial series and the ROBOT randomized controlled trial comparing robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy to open esophagectomy. As a surgical leader at Erasmus MC, Wijnhoven has worked alongside van Lanschot in the CROSS and SANO trial programs and has been central to establishing Rotterdam as a globally recognized center for esophageal cancer excellence. He led the ROBOT trial (van der Sluis et al., NEJM 2023), the definitive phase III randomized trial showing that robot-assisted minimally invasive esophagectomy (RAMIE) reduced postoperative complications—particularly pulmonary complications—compared to open transthoracic esophagectomy, while demonstrating equivalent oncological outcomes and superior functional recovery, paving the way for robot-assisted approaches as a new standard for surgical esophagectomy. Wijnhoven has also contributed extensively to quality-of-life research after esophagectomy, CROSS long-term outcome analyses, and the SANO active surveillance trial program. His broader research interests include enhanced recovery, complications management, and surgical outcomes registries. He is a highly regarded surgical educator, and his technical contributions to minimally invasive and robot-assisted esophagectomy have been widely disseminated through surgical workshops and peer-reviewed publications.