Robotics has role in colon, rectal surgery

Colorectal cancer is a term that combines both colon and rectal cancers. The colon and rectum are two different parts of the lower digestive tract. These different cancers also mean different approaches to treatment that may involve the use of radiation and chemotherapy in addition to surgery.

Colon and rectal cancers may be detected during the same screening, but they are treated differently, said Dr. Eric Dozois, a Mayo Clinic colon and rectal surgeon.

“Our approach to rectal cancer, for example, often involves more aggressive treatments that help prevent it from coming back,” he said.

Robotic surgery plays a strong role in rectal cancer surgery at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. It allows a surgeon to work more efficiently in small spaces, providing an enhanced view of the area where the operation is taking place.

Such surgery is performed while the surgeon sits at a console and guides high-tech surgical tools. It can be done with more precision, flexibility and control than with conventional techniques.

The surgeries are minimally invasive, often with fewer complications and quicker recovery.

If colon cancer is caught early, surgery may be the only treatment that is necessary, but Dozois said, “Even in some of the earlier stages, a more aggressive approach that combines chemotherapy, radiation and surgery is necessary.”