Rectal cancer is one of the most common oncological diseases. In standard cases, the tumor is removed by open surgery. However, doctors abroad increasingly prefer minimally invasive techniques such as laparoscopy and robot-assisted surgery. Treatment outcomes with a minimally invasive technique are no worse than those of classic abdominal surgery. Moreover, the risk of complications is lower and the recovery of patients is easier and faster.
Content
- Principles of rectal cancer treatment
- Specificities of robot-assisted rectal surgery
- Benefits of robot-assisted surgery
All manipulations are carried out by the arms of a robot-assisted surgical system: they make incisions, hold instruments, and a tiny video camera with lighting. A doctor controls the robot remotely using a console.
You can seek medical attention from one of the following hospitals: University Hospital of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Charite University Hospital Berlin, or University Hospital RWTH Aachen.
We will take care of all the arrangements for your trip if you make your treatment appointment through the Booking Health service. The Booking Health team will help you to select a hospital and a doctor, take care of applying for a visa and a flight to the hospital, agree on an appointment with a doctor in the near future, control the cost of medical services rendered, arrange insurance, and provide interpreting services. You are welcome to contact Booking Health with any questions regarding your treatment abroad.
Principles of rectal cancer treatment
Rectal cancer is usually treated with surgery. The operation is performed immediately after the establishment of the diagnosis or after chemotherapy if the diagnosis is made at an advanced stage.
Doctors abroad use many effective treatment methods, including surgical transanal excision of the tumor, radiation and chemotherapy, and embolization or chemoembolization to suppress liver metastases. When there is a significant spread of the tumor process in the abdominal cavity, doctors perform cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (CRS and HIPEC). Surgeons remove all tumor foci, and then rinse the abdominal cavity with a heated solution of cytostatics to destroy the remaining cancer cells. The advanced stages are treated with palliative care, including endoscopic dilation in stenosis.
If cancer is detected at the early stages, doctors can remove the tumor in many patients with a minimally invasive laparoscopic technique. Doctors at clinics abroad increasingly prefer this surgical option since it is less traumatic. In addition, in the world's leading clinics, even laparoscopy is gradually becoming an outdated technique, as even more advanced robot-assisted operations have appeared.
Specificities of robot-assisted rectal surgery
Minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer remains a challenge for physicians due to the peculiarities of the topographic location of the organ and problems with rectal mobilization. The problem is exacerbated by the narrow pelvis in men and the presence of obesity. It is therefore important to be treated by highly professional surgeons to expect good oncological results and, at the same time, avoid complications.
The use of new technologies that help doctors to improve treatment outcomes is equally important. Surgeons in developed countries use the da Vinci surgical system. This device performs the operation with "robotic arms", and a doctor controls the system remotely with a console. The Da Vinci treatment makes it possible to overcome most of the indicated complexities due to the excellent overview of the surgical field and the very high manipulativeness of the instruments.
Robot-assisted surgery is performed in the same way as laparoscopic surgery, that is, through short incisions. However, it has a number of advantages. When performing laparoscopy, a doctor can see the surgical field on the screen in two-dimensional mode, while robotic surgery creates a 3D image. The 3D camera system creates stable images. Robotic arms never tremble, thereby performing movements as accurately as possible.
Benefits of robot-assisted surgery
Robot-assisted surgery is safer, which is confirmed by studies.
A recent analysis showed that when using a robot-assisted surgical system, the risk of converting a minimally invasive operation to an open one is reduced from 13% to 5%. Moreover, many studies showed that the conversion rate was zero. This is due to the fact that during a robot-assisted operation, obesity, a narrow pelvis, adhesive disease, bleeding or intestinal expansion no longer interfere with a minimally invasive intervention.
When performing a robot-assisted operation, its duration is reduced by an average of 42 minutes. The faster the operation is completed, the lower the risk that a person will suffer from complications. In addition, a patient feels better in the postoperative period.
In many patients, robot-assisted surgery is almost bloodless due to the instant coagulation of blood vessels in the incision area. Studies show that blood loss ranges from 16 to 400 mL. Even at the maximum rate, patients do not need any blood transfusions.
Robot-assisted surgery has a lower complication rate. For example, the incidence of the most common complication of colorectal resection, namely anastomotic leaks, is 5%, while for laparoscopic surgery this figure reaches 7%.
General rehabilitation after robot-assisted surgery is faster and a hospital stay is shorter. Intestinal peristalsis is restored on average 2 days earlier than after a laparoscopic intervention. Sexual function and bladder control are restored earlier as well.
You are welcome to use the Booking Health service to undergo your colon cancer diagnostics and surgical treatment, postoperative colostomy closure and other interventions at one of the hospitals abroad. On our website, you can find prices, compare the cost of operations at different medical centers, and make your appointment on the preferred dates. Our specialists will advise on all issues and help with selecting a hospital and organizing a trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
National Cancer Institute
Cancer Support Community
Sience Direct