Operations for Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Partial colectomy is beneficial for the majority of these patients; more than 250,000 of these procedures are performed in the United States annually, with colon cancer being the most common indication. Although these procedures are commonly performed, there is considerable associated morbidity and mortality. This review details the indications for surgery, the preoperative planning, and technical considerations for colon cancer surgeries. Figures show the vascular anatomy of the colon, oncologic resections of carcinomas in different locations of the colon, anatomic relations between the colon and the retroperitoneal organs, port positioning for laparoscopic colectomy, right colon mobilization and mesenteric dissection in laparoscopic right hemicolectomy, configuration of an end-to-end stapled colorectal anastomosis, laparoscopic left hemicolectomy and sigmoid resection, and approaches to dissection of the splenic flexure. A video shows a laparoscopic right colectomy, and potential complications of colectomy are listed in a table. This review contains 9 figures, 1 video, 2 tables, and 70 references. Keywords: Colon, Anastomosis, Colectomy, Cancer, Flexure, Tumor, Sigmoid, Mesentry