Copyright
©2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2014; 20(41): 15125-15134
Published online Nov 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i41.15125
Published online Nov 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i41.15125
Current status of laparoscopy for the treatment of rectal cancer
Noam Shussman, Steven D Wexner, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, FL 33331, United States
Author contributions: Shussman N performed the literature review and wrote the manuscript; Wexner SD described the operative technique, revised the manuscript and performed English copyediting.
Correspondence to: Noam Shussman, MD, Department of Colorectal Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Florida, 2950 Cleveland Clinic Blvd, Weston, FL 33331, United States. shussmn@ccf.org
Telephone: +1-954-651888
Received: March 24, 2014
Revised: May 23, 2014
Accepted: June 21, 2014
Published online: November 7, 2014
Revised: May 23, 2014
Accepted: June 21, 2014
Published online: November 7, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Surgery for rectal cancer entails many challenges and several debates exist regarding the appropriate way to deal with this disease. One of these debates is the choice of surgical approach and whether laparoscopy is appropriate. This article reviews the current knowledge about the use of the laparoscopic approach for rectal cancer. Herein we describe our technique for laparoscopic proctectomy and assess the current literature dealing with the outcomes and the oncologic safety of laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery. We also briefly evaluate the evolving issues of robotic assisted rectal cancer surgery and the current innovations in this field.