Minimally Invasive Surgery for Cancer: What You Should Know
Laparoscopic or “minimally invasive” surgery is a specialized technique for performing surgery for cancers.
minimally invasive surgery where the surgeon uses several small cuts in the abdomen (0.5-1 cm) to insert surgical instruments, including a long and thin tube with a light and a camera on the end called a laparoscope.
A larger cut, about 3-5 cm wide, is made to remove the cancerous part of the colon or rectum.
The laparoscope shows images on video monitors in the operating room.
Minimally invasive procedures for cancers:
The range of abdominal surgical procedures that we can perform with minimally invasive (or laparoscopic) techniques has expanded.
Examples of our common laparoscopic surgical oncology procedures we perform include:
Laparoscopic colectomy—treats colon cancer
Laparoscopic lymph node biopsy—treats lymph node cancer
Laparoscopic transhiatal esophagectomy—treats cancer of the esophagus
Laparoscopic gastrectomy—treats cancers of the stomach
Laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy—treats pancreatic cancer
Laparoscopic small bowel resection—treats intestinal cancer
Benefits of minimally invasive surgery include:
Smaller incisions
Less pain
Minimal to no scars
Less blood loss
Lower rate of complications
Shorter hospital stay