Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant neoplastic disease after breast and lung cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide.
It is a malignant disease which shows a significant increase in its incidence in recent years, especially in Western societies and according to statistics, it occurs in younger and younger patients.
Symptoms
“The symptoms it causes are related to the location of the tumor in the intestine, its size and the degree of damage it has caused to the intestinal wall.
These can be: the blockage of the bowel and the resulting appearance of persistent constipation or a change in bowel habits with inhibition of passing gas and faeces. Also, intestinal colic, distension of the abdomen, flatulence – bloating, the existence of light red blood in the stools – a symptom that the majority of patients usually attribute to hemorrhoids, consequently delaying the diagnosis and therefore the treatment.
It causes a feeling of incomplete emptying, that is, the feeling that the bowel does not empty completely. Finally, there may be unjustified weight loss and night sweats”, points out Mr. Christos Liakos, Director General Surgeon at Metropolitan Hospital.
Treatment
The treatment of colon cancer is multifactorial, it is planned with the participation of doctors of different specialties, but the surgical resection of the tumor, i.e. its removal through colectomy surgery, has a central place in it. In this procedure, the part of the intestine containing the tumor is removed, lymph nodes are cleaned of the area, and then the intestine is rejoined and anastomosed, in order to restore the continuity of the gastrointestinal tract.
It is a complex oncological operation that today can be performed with minimally invasive surgery, either laparoscopically or robotically. In both of these techniques, oncological surgery is performed through very small incisions, of the order of a few millimeters, with the use of special tools, thus avoiding the complications of the large incisions of classic open surgery.
Thus, large blood loss, respiratory system infections, wound infections, postoperative pain, slow recovery and return to everyday life, postoperative hernias, etc. are avoided.
The valuable robotic assistance
Avoiding complications is also the reason why a robotic surgery operation starts every 28 seconds around the world. With the use of the robot, to the advantages of minimally invasive surgery described above, are added the maximum possible flexibility of the surgeon’s movements, the enormous clarity through 3D image and above all, the access to extremely demanding and hard-to-reach areas of the abdomen, thus avoiding the permanent unnatural seat (the well-known pouch) in patients with cancer of the lower third of the rectum.
In addition, with the intravenous administration of the special dye ICG (indocyanine green), the visualization of the perfusion of the tissues of the organs, lymph nodes and other vital structures of the body is achieved in real time, consequently reducing the risk of escaping from an anastomosis because it is controlled the blood supply to her extremities.
The oncological result is better because the lymph nodes that irrigate the area of ​​the tumor, even the most distant ones, become green due to the dye, which makes their removal easier.
Finally, injury to vital organs (e.g. ureters) is avoided, because these are also visible during the operation having absorbed the special pigment.
Colon Surgery Department of the Metropolitan Hospital
“Minimally invasive surgery can now be applied to all patients, which means that all the advantages of robotic assistance can be offered even to patients who 10-15 years ago would not have been able to operate.
For this very reason, the Metropolitan Hospital has created the Department of Colon Surgery, which, thanks to its staffing of top doctors who have at their disposal technological equipment and robotic systems of the latest generation, is a center of reference for the treatment of both oncological diseases and of benign colon diseases”, concludes Mr. Liakos.
Written by:
Mr. Christos Liakos, Director General Surgeon at Metropolitan Hospital
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
As a seasoned news journalist, I bring a wealth of experience to the field. I’ve worked with world-renowned news organizations, honing my skills as a writer and reporter. Currently, I write for the sports section at News Bulletin 247, where I bring a unique perspective to every story.
