Download Facing Surgery for Colorectal Cancer?

Facing Surgery for
Colorectal Cancer?
Learn about minimally invasive
da Vinci Surgery
®
The Condition:
Colorectal Cancer
The colon and rectum are part of your large intestine.
Their main function is to pass solid waste from your
body. Colorectal cancer usually starts in the glands
of the colon or rectum lining. Almost all cases of
colorectal cancer begin as non-cancerous (benign)
polyps that slowly develop into cancer.1 Like many
cancers, colorectal cancer can spread to lymph nodes
or other organs.
Colorectal cancer symptoms may include: blood in
your stool, changes in bowel habits, pelvic pain,
narrow stools, and unexplained weight loss.
Colorectal cancer affects nearly 1.3 million people
worldwide each year and is the fourth most common
cause of cancer death.2 Colorectal cancer is more
common in men, people over age 60, and in
developed countries.1,2
Transverse Colon
Ascending
Colon
Descending
Colon
Rectum
The Intestinal Tract
Sigmoid
Colon
The Surgery:
Colorectal Surgery
If you are facing colon cancer, your doctor may
recommend a colectomy. During a colectomy, part
or all of your colon will be removed, depending
on the extent of the cancer. For patients
diagnosed with rectal cancer, surgeons typically
perform a low anterior resection (LAR) to connect
the rectum to the colon after removing the
cancer. If the cancer is too close to the anus, your
surgeon may need to remove your rectum, anus
and part of your sigmoid colon. This is known as
an abdominoperineal resection or APR.
Colorectal procedures are often performed using
traditional open surgery, meaning a large open
incision is made from your pubic bone to just
below your breastbone. The incision must be large
enough for your surgeon to fit his or her hands and
surgical instruments inside your body. Open surgery
allows doctors to see and touch your organs
as they operate.
Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive alternative
to open surgery. With laparoscopy, your surgeon
operates through a few small incisions using special
instruments, including a tiny camera. The camera sends
images to a video monitor in the operating room to
guide doctors during the operation.
There is another minimally invasive surgical option for
patients facing colorectal surgery: state-of-the-art
da Vinci Surgery.
Open Surgery
Incision
da Vinci Surgery/
Laparoscopy Incisions
da Vinci Surgery:
A Minimally Invasive Surgical Option
Using the da Vinci System, your surgeon makes a few
small incisions - similar to traditional laparoscopy.
da Vinci features a magnified 3D HD vision system and
tiny instruments that rotate far greater than the human
wrist. These features enable surgeons to operate with
enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control.
Colon Cancer: As a result of da Vinci technology, da Vinci
Colectomy offers the following potential benefits:
Precise removal of cancerous tissue3
Low blood loss3,4 & low rate of complications3,4,5
Quick return of bowel function & normal diet4,5
Low conversion rate to open surgery4,5
Short hospital stay3,4,5
Small incisions for minimal scarring
Rectal Cancer: da Vinci Low Anterior Resection offers
precise removal of cancerous tissue,6 as well as the
following potential benefits compared to open surgery:
Less blood loss7
Less pain8
Shorter hospital stay & faster recovery8
Quicker return of bowel function & normal diet8
Small incisions for minimal scarring
Rectal Cancer: Compared to traditional laparoscopy,
da Vinci Low Anterior Resection offers the following
potential benefits:
Lower conversion rate to open surgery9
Fewer major complications9
Shorter hospital stay9
Quicker return to normal
diet9
Quicker return of urinary &
sexual function10
Risks & Considerations Related to
da Vinci Colectomy & Low Anterior Resection:
Potential risks of any colectomy and low anterior
resection procedure include: intestinal fluid leakage,
internal bleeding, blockage in the intestine, blocked
artery in the lung, abscess, urinary problems, injury to
surrounding organs, and wound infections.3,8
Important Information for Patients:
All surgery presents risk, including da Vinci Surgery.
Results, including cosmetic results, may vary. Serious
complications may occur in any surgery, up to and
including death. Examples of serious and life-threatening
complications, which may require hospitalization,
include injury to tissues or organs; bleeding; infection,
and internal scarring that can cause long-lasting
dysfunction or pain. Temporary pain or nerve injury
has been linked to the inverted position often used
during abdominal and pelvic surgery. Patients should
understand that risks of surgery include potential for
human error and potential for equipment failure. Risks
specific to minimally invasive surgery may include:
a longer operative time; the need to convert the
procedure to other surgical techniques; the need for
additional or larger incision sites; a longer operation
or longer time under anesthesia than your surgeon
originally predicts. Converting the procedure to open
could mean a longer operative time, long time under
anesthesia, and could lead to increased complications.
Research suggests that there may be an increased risk of
incision-site hernia with single-incision surgery. Patients
who bleed easily, have abnormal blood clotting, are
pregnant or morbidly obese are typically not candidates
for minimally invasive surgery, including da Vinci Surgery.
Other surgical approaches are available. Patients should
review the risks associated with all surgical approaches.
They should talk to their doctors about their surgical
experience and to decide if da Vinci is right for them.
For more complete information on surgical risks, safety
and indications for use, please refer to http://www.
davincisurgery.com/safety.
All people depicted unless otherwise noted are models. © 2013 Intuitive Surgical. All rights
reserved. Intuitive, Intuitive Surgical, da Vinci, da Vinci S, da Vinci Si, Single-Site, TilePro, FireFly,
Skills Simulator, EndoWrist and EndoWrist One are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Intuitive Surgical. All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders. PN 870119 Rev F 07/2013
Your doctor is one of a growing
number of surgeons worldwide
offering da Vinci Surgery.
®
For more information and to find a
da Vinci surgeon near you, visit:
www.daVinciSurgery.com
Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001308/
Available from: http://globocan.iarc.fr/factsheets/cancers/colorectal.asp 3 Patel
CB, et al. A three-arm (laparoscopic, hand-assisted, and robotic) matched-case
analysis of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes in minimally invasive
colorectal surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 2011 Feb;54(2):144-50. 4 D’Annibale A,
et al. Robotic and laparoscopic surgery for treatment of colorectal diseases. Dis
Colon Rectum. 2004 Dec;47(12):2162-8. 5 Spinoglio G, et al. Robotic colorectal
surgery: first 50 cases experience. Dis Colon Rectum. 2008 Nov;51(11):162732. Epub 2008 May 17. 6 Hellan M, et al. Short-term outcomes after roboticassisted total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2007
Nov;14(11):3168-73. Epub 2007 Sep 1. 7 deSouza AL, et al. A comparison
of open and robotic total mesorectal excision for rectal adenocarcinoma. Dis
Colon Rectum. 2011 Mar;54(3):275-82. 8 Park JS, et al. S052: a comparison of
robot-assisted, laparoscopic, and open surgery in the treatment of rectal cancer.
Surg Endosc. 2011 Jan;25(1):240-8. Epub 2010 Jun 15. 9 Baik SH, et al. Robotic
versus laparoscopic low anterior resection of rectal cancer: short-term outcome
of a prospective comparative study. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 Jun;16(6):1480-7.
Epub 2009 Mar 17. 10 Kim JY, et al. A comparative study of voiding and sexual
function after total mesorectal excision with autonomic nerve preservation
for rectal cancer: laparoscopic versus robotic surgery. Ann Surg Oncol. 2012
Aug;19(8):2485-93. Epub 2012 Mar 21.
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The Enabling Technology:
da Vinci Surgical System
The da Vinci Surgical System is designed to provide
surgeons with enhanced capabilities, including highdefinition 3D vision and a magnified view. Your doctor
controls the da Vinci System, which translates his
or her hand movements into smaller, more precise
movements of tiny instruments inside your body.
Though it is often called a “robot,” da Vinci cannot
act on its own. Surgery is performed entirely by your
doctor. Together, da Vinci technology allows your
doctor to perform routine and complex procedures
through just a few small openings, similar to
traditional laparoscopy.
The da Vinci System has been used successfully
worldwide in approximately 1.5 million various
surgical procedures to date. da Vinci - changing the
experience of surgery for people around the world.