Surgery is the most common treatment for colon cancer and the treatment of surgery depends on a number of factors like, the stage of cancer, patients overall health, and how far the cancer has spread. In the case of colon cancer, there are different types of surgery that are conducted which again depend on the stage of the cancer. The different kinds of surgery for colon cancer include:
Surgical resection
In this procedure part of the healthy colon or rectum and lymph nodes will be removed.
Polypectomy
A polypectomy is a procedure where the cancer is removed along with the part of the polyp. This procedure is usually done for patients who are the earlier stages of colon cancer like stage 0 or 1. In this process a wire loop is passed through a colonscope to cut the polyp protruding along the wall of the colon.
Local excision
In a local excision tools are used to remove the cancer that lines the wall of the colon. In this type of surgery a small amount of healthy tissue is removed along with the cancer.
Colectomy
A colectomy is the kind of surgery where all or part of the colon is removed. If only one part of the colon is removed it known as a hemicolectomy, partial colectomy or segmental resection. In this procedure the surgeon takes out a part of colon that contains the cancer and a normal part of the colon is also removed on either side. A total colectomy is when the entire colon is removed but this procedure. A total colectomy is done when a person has hundreds of polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. A colectomy can be conducted in two ways and they are listed below:
Open colectomy
The surgery is done through a single long incision that is made in the abdomen.
Laparoscopic assisted colectomy
In this technique several viewing scopes are passed into the abdomen. A laparoscope is a thin long lighted tube that has a camera and a light on the end that allows the surgeon to see inside the abdomen. In this method small incisions are made to remove parts of the colon and lymph nodes.The incisions made are small and recovery time is shorter than a standard colon surgery.
Robotic assisted colectomy
In this method, similar to laparoscope , smaller incisions made and long instruments are put into the abdomen through the small incisions. These are called robotic arms. The surgeon operates at the console which controls the robotic arms.
