Surgical treatment of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract. The incidence has increased significantly in the past 20 years, and there is a trend that colon cancer is more common than rectal cancer. If colorectal cancer can be detected early and surgically cured in time, the prognosis is good. The 5-year survival rate after early surgery is as high as 80%.

Surgical treatment of colorectal cancer

Radical surgery for colorectal cancer is the most important part of the surgical treatment of colorectal cancer, including right hemicolectomy, transverse colectomy, left hemicolectomy, radical resection of sigmoid colon cancer, and radical resection of rectal cancer. Laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer is also used, which has the advantages of less trauma and faster recovery, but there is still controversy about lymph node dissection and the treatment of surrounding invaded organs.

In addition to radical surgery, surgery should be performed as soon as possible after proper preparation when colon cancer is complicated by acute intestinal obstruction.

Preoperative bowel preparation

Colorectal cancer surgery generally requires adequate intestinal preparation, which mainly involves emptying the intestine and applying appropriate antibiotics. There are many ways to empty the intestine, such as taking 2000-3000 ml of compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder orally 12-24 hours before surgery, or taking mannitol orally. There are also oral laxatives one day before surgery, such as castor oil, magnesium sulfate, or senna leaves. Except for suspected intestinal obstruction, the intestinal cleansing method of repeated cleansing enema is rarely used clinically. The routine use of intestinal antibiotics is metronidazole 400 mg three times a day; neomycin 1.0 g, twice a day, one day before surgery.