title: Role of laparoscopy in hepatobiliary malignancies.
abstract: The many benefits of laparoscopy, including smaller incision, reduced length of hospital stay and more rapid return to normal function, have seen its popularity grow in recent years. With concurrent improvements in non-surgical cancer management the importance of accurate staging is becoming increasingly important. There are two main applications of laparoscopic surgery in managing hepato-pancreatico-biliary (HPB) malignancy: accurate staging of disease and resection. We aim to summarize the use of laparoscopy in these contexts. The role of staging laparoscopy has become routine in certain cancers, in particular T[2] staged, locally advanced gastric cancer, hilar cholangiocarcinoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For other cancers, in particular colorectal, laparoscopy has now become the gold standard management for resection such that there is no role for stand-alone staging laparoscopy. In HPB cancers, although staging laparoscopy may play a role, with ever improving radiology, its role remains controversial.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute - a CR-UK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, John Vane Science Centre, Charterhouse Square; Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Prabhu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arumugam
authors.affiliation: Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Vickna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balarajah
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute - a CR-UK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, John Vane Science Centre, Charterhouse Square; Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.affiliation: Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ajit T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.affiliation: Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Satyajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tumour Biology, Barts Cancer Institute - a CR-UK Centre of Excellence, Queen Mary University of London, John Vane Science Centre, Charterhouse Square; Barts & the London HPB Centre, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Hemant M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kocher
mesh_terms: D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D018285:Klatskin Tumor / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010535:Laparoscopy; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery