The Fellowship of the European Board of Surgery in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (UEMS/IFSO/EAES) covers the full bariatric pathway. Practise with FEBS-MBS questions on patient selection, sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, revisional surgery and nutritional management, each referenced to IFSO and EAES position statements.
Content reviewed 26 August 2026 against current guidelines.
Start practising freeTaken from the bank, not written for this page. Answer it in your head, then open the explanation.
A 56-year-old woman with BMI 37 kg/m² is referred for bariatric surgery evaluation. She has a history of stage I endometrial cancer treated with hysterectomy 3 years ago, with no evidence of recurrence on surveillance. Her oncologist confirms no active disease and no ongoing oncological treatment. She has T2DM, hypertension, and severe joint pain limiting ambulation. She specifically asks whether her cancer history affects her eligibility for bariatric surgery. According to current guidelines, which of the following best describes the appropriate approach?
Correct answer: B
A history of malignancy treated with curative intent and in complete remission is NOT a contraindication to bariatric surgery. Current ASMBS clinical practice guidelines and IFSO statements support metabolic-bariatric surgery in cancer survivors who are in complete remission and have no active oncological treatment, provided standard eligibility criteria are met. Endometrial cancer is specifically relevant because obesity is one of its strongest risk factors (relative risk 3-6x at BMI >30), and recurrence risk correlates with ongoing obesity. There is growing evidence — and biological rationale — that weight loss following bariatric surgery may reduce recurrence risk and improve cancer-specific survival in obesity-related malignancies, including endometrial and breast cancer. Key principles for cancer survivors considered for MBS: 1. Disease-free status confirmed by oncologist 2. No ongoing systemic therapy (chemotherapy, anti-oestrogen, targeted therapy) that would interfere with surgery or recovery — note: hormone therapy for endometrial cancer survivors may continue but is typically not active at this stage 3. Life expectancy sufficient to benefit from surgery (generally accepted as ≥5 years by most centres) 4. Oncologist involvement in the multidisciplinary team 5. Continued surveillance per oncology protocol post-surgery There is no universally mandated 5-year disease-free interval in bariatric guidelines. This timeframe is derived from general surgical oncology principles for elective surgery risk stratification, but bariatric societies do not prescribe a fixed minimum remission duration. Procedure selection (RYGB vs sleeve) should be based on standard clinical criteria (GERD, anatomy, comorbidities), not cancer history alone. RYGB malabsorption does not meaningfully compromise cancer surveillance. Guideline reference: ASMBS Position on Bariatric Surgery in Special Populations; Coblijn UK et al., Endometrial cancer and bariatric surgery, BJOG 2020.
Teaching point. Cancer in complete remission = NOT a contraindication to MBS. Oncologist MDT involvement required. No mandatory 5-year waiting period in guidelines. MBS may reduce obesity-related cancer recurrence risk. Endometrial cancer survivors are good candidates — obesity drives recurrence.
Referenced to ASMBS Special Populations Position Statement; BJOG 2020
Every question is explained like this — start with 50 free ›Every question is written by Pablo Lozano Lominchar, MD, PhD, and mapped to this board’s published syllabus. Before it enters the bank it has to pass an automated check: five options, a written explanation, and a citation — a named society guideline or a named trial. Benign and functional topics cannot be published without a society guideline; oncological ones cite NCCN, ESMO or AJCC, and the classification systems that govern a topic — Bethesda, TIRADS, Atlanta, Prague, Chicago — have to appear where they apply. The author has audited the full active bank against current guideline versions: what fails is re-cited, rewritten or withdrawn. 650 questions are currently withdrawn and are served to nobody.
Scope of authorship. FEBS-MBS sits outside the author’s own subspecialty practice, which is surgical oncology — peritoneal malignancy, sarcoma, hepatopancreatobiliary and complex pelvic surgery. No diplomate of this board has signed these questions off. What they offer is traceability rather than personal authority: every answer names the current guideline or trial it rests on, so you can check it at the source before you trust it. Found an error? Tell us — it gets corrected or withdrawn.
Use IFSO and EAES position statements as your primary references, master revisional decision-making (sleeve-to-bypass vs SADI vs endoluminal options), and know the micronutrient deficiency patterns after sleeve versus bypass. Practise timed MBS questions to build recall speed.
SurgBoardsQ&A offers more than 1,000 metabolic and bariatric surgery practice questions mapped to the FEBS-MBS syllabus, each with a full guideline-referenced explanation.
FEBS-MBS has two parts: a written paper of 100 multiple-choice questions and an oral examination (three clinical case discussions plus a critical appraisal of a scientific paper), totalling 300 points. It is held annually at the IFSO European Chapter congress, and candidates need at least 50% in each part and 75% overall to pass.
Yes — 50 FEBS-MBS practice questions are free with no credit card required.
Start practising for FEBS-MBS
50 questions free, no credit card required. Filter by board, topic, or difficulty. Explanations cite current ESMO and NCCN guidelines.
Create free account