Adjuvant Therapy for Colon Cancer
Patients are not at risk of dying from a tumor that has been removed; they are at risk of dying from residual microscopic disease not removed at the time of…
Chemoradiation for Rectal Cancer: Rationale, Approaches, and Controversies
The standard adjuvant treatment of cT3 and/or N+ rectal cancer is preoperative chemoradiation. However, there are many controversies regarding this approach. These controversies include the role of short course radiation,…
Laparoscopy for Rectal Cancer
Several large case series and single-institution trials have shown that laparoscopy is feasible for rectal cancer. Pending the results of the UK CLASICC, COLOR II, Japanese JCOG 0404, and ACOSOG…
Laparoscopy for Colon Cancer: State of the Art
As a result of several years of trials and investigations, laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer is now considered an acceptable and safe alternative to traditional open techniques. Four large randomized…
Low Anterior Resection: Alternative Anastomotic Techniques
Low anterior resection (LAR), with its numerous technical modifications, is one of the most commonly performed operations for rectal cancer. In the past, patients with locally advanced distal rectal cancer…
Pretherapy Imaging of Rectal Cancers: ERUS or MRI?
ERUS and MRI should be seen more as complementary rather than competitive techniques. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. ERUS is better in showing the tumor extent in small…
Optimal Management of Small Rectal Cancers: TAE, TEM, or TME?
Total mesorectal excision (TME) remains the gold standard for rectal cancer because it provides superior oncologic outcomes compared with local excision (LE). LE can be offered as an alternative for…
How to Manage the Patient with Early-Age-of-Onset (<50 years) Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer rarely occurs before the age of 50. When it does, it is often advanced and aggressive. There may be predisposing genetic and immune factors that lead to its…
How to Manage a Patient with Multiple Adenomatous Polyps
Adenomatous polyps are found on screening colonoscopy in 22.5% to 58.2% of the adult population and therefore represent a common problem. Patients with multiple adenomatous polyps are of unique interest…
Colorectal Cancer: What Should Patients and Families Be Told to Lower the Risk of Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States. CRC, however, is potentially preventable, and several strategies may be employed to decrease the…
