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Minimal Access Cancer Management

Dr. Greene is Chairman, Department of General Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Kercher is Chief of Minimal Access Surgery; and Co-director of the Carolinas Laparoscopic and Advanced Surgery Program, Department of General Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Nelson is Professor of Surgery; and Division Chief, Department of Surgery and Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Dr. Teigland is Chairman, McKay Department of Urology, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC.
Dr. Boller is Fellow, Department of Surgery and Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.

This article is available online at http://CAonline.AmCancerSoc.org
To earn free CME credit for successfully completing the online quiz based on this article, go to http://CME.AmCancerSoc.org.
Disclosures: The authors have no financial support or financial interest in products or manufacturers of products mentioned in the manuscript.

Minimal access approaches in the treatment of a variety of solid tumors of the stomach, large bowel, and genitourinary system are now being advocated in several surgical specialty areas. The laparoscope has evolved from a diagnostic tool to a modality that allows for removal of tumors using small incisions and the application of pneumoperitoneum with carbon dioxide. Through studies using animal models and patient investigation, the immunologic benefits of laparoscopic cancer procedures appear to be beneficial when compared with conventional laparotomy. Overall benefits of analgesic reduction, more rapid postoperative recovery, and patient satisfaction are the byproducts of minimal access approaches. Patients with cancers of the stomach, colon, and kidney show similar long-term outcomes when compared with conventional open techniques. Caution, however, should be exercised in recommending laparoscopic approaches for routine management of primary tumors of the rectum and adrenal gland.