title: Current issues in colorectal cancer surgery.
abstract: Increased understanding of the pathology and natural history of colorectal cancer has led to significant advances in the management of this disease. Surgical management of rectal cancer currently includes a spectrum of operative procedures ranging from radical operations to innovative sphincter-preserving techniques. At one end of the spectrum, 5% to 10% of patients present with small, superficially invasive rectal cancers amenable to a curative local excision. At the other end, a subset of patients present with locally advanced rectal cancers that require multimodality therapy, including sharp pelvic dissection with en-bloc resection of involved organs. However, the majority of rectal cancer patients present with nonfixed, yet deeply invasive, lesions requiring either a low anterior resection (LAR) or an abdominal perineal resection (APR). This report will address the controversies in the surgical management of colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Guillem
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D017776:Autonomic Pathways; D003106:Colon / Q000294:innervation / Q000601:surgery; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D003107:Colorectal Surgery / Q000639:trends*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D016737:Proctocolectomy, Restorative; D012007:Rectum / Q000294:innervation / Q000601:surgery