Laparoscopic (Closed) Colon Cancer Surgeries

Colon cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is a serious disease that threatens people’s lives. Among the methods used in the treatment of this disease are laparoscopic colon cancer surgeries which have been newly developed.

Laparoscopic surgeries are procedures known as closed surgeries among the public. The decision to apply this method is made considering the patient’s condition.

What is Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery?

Laparoscopic colon cancer surgery is a surgical operation performed through 4-5 incisions opened from the anterior abdominal wall. The size of the incisions opened is between 0.5 cm and 1 cm. While a telescopic camera is sent through one of the incisions, surgical operations are performed with medical tools through the others.

Colon cancer is a cancer that occurs in the large intestine, located in the lower part of the digestive system. It is also known as colorectal cancer. In this disease, both benign and malignant tumors are formed on the large intestine, preventing it from performing its function. Additionally, there is a risk of the cancers spreading to different organs. Therefore, tumors need to be cleaned quickly. The treatment of intestinal cancer continues with chemotherapy and similar treatments according to the type of tumor after surgical operations.

Surgery for colon cancer due to cancer can be performed in two different ways, open and closed. In laparoscopic surgeries, which are closed, only 4-5 very small incisions are opened and the operation is performed through these incisions. While the risk of complications is high in open surgeries, these risks are lower in closed surgeries. Also, the recovery time of patients treated with laparoscopic colon cancer surgery is shorter.

How are Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgeries Performed?

Firstly, the patient is placed under general anesthesia for closed colon cancer surgery. Then, very small incisions are made in the abdominal area and a telescope with a camera at the end is sent inside through one of these incisions. Additionally, the area where the surgery will be performed is inflated with carbon dioxide gas, and space is gained for the surgical operation. The reason for using carbon dioxide in the inflation process is that this gas can be quickly expelled from the body.

The operation is performed based on the images transferred from the camera to the monitor. During the surgery, the tumors on the large intestine are cleaned. Also, it is necessary to completely clean and remove the lymph nodes and other cancerous tissues with a probability of spreading the disease.

Eligible Candidates

Although the laparoscopic method has very important advantages, it is not suitable for every patient. In the pre-treatment controls, it is understood that some patients are not suitable for this method and open surgery is decided. Sometimes, the decision to return to open surgery is made in patients who have decided to use the laparoscopic method and start the surgery in this way. This decision is not a risk for the patient, on the contrary, it is a precaution taken for his/her safety.
There may be different reasons for the decision to switch from the laparoscopic method to open surgery. These;

• Obesity
• Adhesions to the abdomen due to previous abdominal surgeries
• Large tumors
• Spread of tumors over too many areas
• Bleeding

These situations that occur or are noticed during the operation make open surgery almost mandatory and safer for the patient.

Is Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery Reliable?

In the past, there were some doubts about the use of minimally invasive surgery for colon cancer treatment. Claims were made that tumors could not be completely removed with this method and that cancer could spread further, leading to questioning of laparoscopic procedures. However, scientific research has shown that laparoscopic colon cancer treatment is as safe as open surgery.

In closed surgeries, the affected area can be seen clearly and tumors can be completely removed, making the surgical part of cancer treatment seamless. Nowadays, closed surgery is widely used for the treatment of intestinal cancer in hospitals and clinics in developed countries. In fact, this method is used for the treatment of different types of cancer such as stomach cancer.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery

Laparoscopic colon cancer surgery is a newly developed method that is one of the important opportunities provided by advancing technology. This method has many advantages as well as some disadvantages.

Advantages

In traditional open colon cancer surgeries, a long incision is made from one end of the abdomen to the other and this incision is closed with internal and external stitches at the end of the procedure. There is a high risk of infection in this wound and the healing time is long. Additionally, the patient needs to have frequent dressings in this area during the healing process. After healing, a large scar remains on the abdomen due to the incision. The laparoscopic method has almost eliminated all of these negatives. The advantages of this method can be listed as follows:

• After the operation, the patient feels less pain.
• Less swelling and less bruising occurs in the surgical area.
• Patients breathe more easily and protect their lungs better.
• Since the intestines do not come into contact with the external environment during the surgery, the patients return to their normal nutrition routine in a shorter time.
• The risk of infection and bleeding is lower.

Due to the advantages herein, laparoscopic colon cancer surgery is preferred intensively today.

Disadvantages

Although the laparoscopic method has very important advantages, it should not be overlooked that it has some disadvantages. These disadvantages can be listed as follows:

o It is a method that requires expensive equipment.
o In order to perform this surgery, the doctor must have serious experience and expertise.

Thanks to the development of the health system, these disadvantages have been eliminated to a great extent. It has become the first preferred method of doctors in surgical procedures such as colon and stomach cancer surgery in our country and other countries in the world.

Risks and Complications of Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery

Closed colon cancer surgery has risks and complications like other surgical procedures. These complications are as follows:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Pulmonary embolism
• Injury of adjacent organs such as the small intestine and bladder
• Leakage in colon anastomosis

Early detection of the complications listed here makes it easier to treat them. Therefore, patients should be closely monitored, especially when they return home after surgery. If symptoms such as high fever, excessive rectal bleeding, severe and persistent pain, vomiting, nausea, and shortness of breath occur, patients should immediately contact their doctors.

Postoperative Care After Laparoscopic Colon Cancer Surgery

After surgery, patients are monitored for 1-2 days before being discharged. During this period, bruising and swelling may occur in the surgical area, which is normal. Patients may feel better shortly after surgery, but it should be remembered that the body needs a little more time to heal. Walking is very important for patients after surgery. Walking without exerting themselves strengthens their muscles and stimulates bowel movements. This helps the digestive system to start working again in a healthy way. Depending on bowel movements, patients can return to a normal diet from liquids within a few days.

After 1-2 weeks of surgery, patients can return to their normal lives, avoiding excessively strenuous activities.

For laparoscopic colon cancer surgery, an experienced and expert surgeon in this field should be chosen. In expert hands, this method provides patients with significant advantages in cancer treatment.