There are approximately 40,000 new diagnoses of rectal cancer in the United States each year. Developments such as total mesorectal excision (TME) and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACXRT) as well as international guidelines have improved the prognosis of primary rectal cancer. But…
Laparoscopic colectomy was first described more than three decades ago, following the success of laparoscopic approaches to biliary surgery and appendicitis in the 1980s. Jacobs et al. described their first 20 laparoscopic colectomies for benign and malignant conditions. The paper was…
Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is the operation of choice for low-lying rectal cancers, as well as for many recurrent rectal cancers, and as salvage therapy for anal cancers. In very select circumstances, APR may also be appropriate for benign disease, such…
The management of rectal cancer has evolved over the past century. Since the first description of radical abdominoperineal resection (APR) by Miles in 1908, surgery for rectal cancer has moved toward less aggressive approaches to reduce morbidity and mortality while…
Widespread introduction of screening programs has resulted in a significant increase in the early detection of rectal cancers. In addition, staging tools and treatment modalities for rectal cancer have greatly improved. As a consequence, there is an increasing interest in…
The realization that local excision may result in equivalent oncologic outcomes for histologically favorable rectal cancer is not a recent development. Conventional transanal excision (TAE) using traditional anorectal retractors has been associated with substantial margin positivity and tumor fragmentation. This…
Despite recent advances in understanding the biology of cancer that have resulted in new targeted and biological therapies, surgery is still the primary treatment for most patients with colorectal cancer. While the overall treatment plan may be different for colon…
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex heterogeneous disease with a variety of factors influencing genetic and epigenetic changes that drive tumor initiation and progression. Alterations in the intricate system of biological checks and balances can lead to a malignant change…
Acute Appendicitis Acute appendicitis is one of the most common problems encountered by a general surgeon, accounting for approximately 1% of all surgical operations. Historically the appendix has been identified as a potential source of right lower quadrant pain and…
Crohn disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract with an unknown etiology and an unknown cure. The characteristic transmural inflammation can progress to refractory inflammatory disease, stricturing disease, and fistulizing disease—all potential indications for surgery when…