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