3 Advances in Colorectal Cancer surgery You Need to Know About

Colorectal Cancer is the third most common form of cancer in America. To combat this, doctors around the world are developing new techniques that are less invasive and decrease the chance of recurrence. Here are three new techniques that are helping change lives around the world.

Transanal Minimally Invasive Surgery (TAMIS) – For those in the early stages of colorectal cancer, this new procedure is performed by having your surgeon place a laparoscopic port into the anus, allowing surgeons to pass through the necessary equipment to find and remove polyps and superficial lesions without making an incision.

By not having to make an incision or remove the anus, patients are often only under surgery for as little as an hour and have often can leave the hospital in less than 24 hours. It also leads to faster recovery and fewer complications.

Advanced Robotic Surgery –  Developed to provide more flexibility and visibility than laparoscopic surgery while still not requiring an incision. Surgeons place a surgical camera and instruments through the anus, while a surgeon using a state-of-the-art 360 console directs the camera and instruments in real-time. 

This procedure allows surgeons to perform incisions with absolute precision, allowing the surgeon to only make tiny incisions instead of the lengthy cuts made before. This leads to low recovery times, and an even lower risk of complication and infection.

Laparoscopic colon resection surgery –  For patients who still require some sort of incision to be made LCR surgery allows the surgeon to use 4-5 small incisions into the body instead of one large incision in earlier procedures. Then a surgeon is able to insert specialized equipment that allows the surgeon greater visibility without having to increase the size of the incision.

While not appropriate to all patients, this form of surgery allows for a quicker recovery time as well as less pain after the procedure.

Colorectal Cancer Surgery has made huge advances since its inception. Procedures are safer, more accurate and precise, and lead to faster recoveries with a fast return to normal life.