Know About the Robotic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

By Medical Expert Team

Aug 16 , 2017 | 1 min read

Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in men and 2nd most common cancer in women worldwide. Moreover, in India, colorectal cancers ranks in top 10 most common cancers.

What are the symptoms of colorectal cancers?

Colorectal cancer may not have any symptoms in the early phase but if present then you may experience:

Change in bowel habits (alternating diarrhoea and constipation)
Decreased calibre of stools
Blood or mucus in stools
Sense of incomplete evacuation after passing stools
Generalized weakness
Unintentional loss of weight

What are the treatment options for colorectal cancers?

Dr Nitin Vashistha says, depending on the stage of colorectal cancer, there are several colorectal cancer treatments in India options. These may be offered singly, sequentially or in combination based on the stage of cancer.

Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy
Surgery: Open, Laparoscopic or Robot assisted

Advantages of Robot Assisted Surgery for colorectal cancer

Robotic system provides a superior quality 3-dimensional view to the surgeon. It also provides a stable platform and eliminates the tremors. It helps the surgeon to operate in closed, narrow spaces in the abdominal cavity such as the pelvis (cancer rectum) where it may be difficult to perform laparoscopic surgery. It also provides for ease in surgical suturing which helps in reconstruction.

This surgery reduces blood loss, causes less pain & lowers the requirement for analgesics and shorter hospital stay.

Moreover, robot assisted surgery helps in better nerve sparing rectal cancer surgery which translates into better functional outcomes.

Is robotic surgery safe?

Robotic surgery has been introduced in clinical practice nearly 2 decades ago and since then its safety is well documented in scores of publications on the subject. The technique has been approved by the US FDA. In the United States of America, robot assisted surgery is offered at over 1300 centres and increasing number of surgeries are being performed robotically all across the world including Europe, Japan, Korea and now India.

What is the current status of robotic colorectal cancer surgery?

Robot assisted surgeries are increasingly used for colorectal cancer patients because of its obvious advantages.

Checkout - Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatment