Treatment of low rectal carcinoma by transanal electrocoagulation.
This study reports the first 13 cases of biopsy-proven low rectal carcinoma treated by transanal electrocoagulation using a locally manufactured instrument. At the University Hospital of the West Indies, over a 16-year period, 9 patients were treated for cure, six of whom have no clinical evidence of recurrence for one to 12 years. Four cases who were offered this procedure for palliation defaulted after a single treatment. Transanal electrocoagulation provides an additional option for treating patients with small, mobile low rectal cancers, following careful screening for evidence of nodal or distant spread. The procedure can also be used in the local control of disease in patients with distant spread or in whom a major operation is not feasible.
Fletcher
P R
PR
Department of Surgery, Radiology and Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica.
DuQuesnay
D R
DR
Carpenter
R
R
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004564:Electrocoagulation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*