Rectal Cancer

In recent years, laparoscopic approaches have been attempted in almost every type of operation. The laparoscopic resection of colorectal cancer was described for the first time in 1991 Within the following years laparoscopic approach was applied to more complex operations, such as total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer. In this technique the avascular plane between the presacral fascia and the fascia propria is dissected to include the entire mesorectum within the excision. Through this technique, an “en bloc-resection” of local tumor invasion, tumor deposits and micro-metastases in the mesorectum alongside with the resection of the main tumor is ensured. The laparoscopic TME for rectal cancer is still controversially discussed. At present, there are only short-term results available suggesting no significant differences between the laparoscopi and open approaches. The main question is, whether the minimal invasive approach achieves the long-term oncological results of conventional rectal surgery. To answer this question, large prospective,randomized trials with a long follow-up time are needed to gain results of long-term functional and oncological quality.

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Last date updated on April, 2024