Each patient should be evaluated individually in colon cancer treatment. Factors such as age, stage of disease, bowel division and comorbidities are important in determining the type of treatment. The main goal of cancer surgery is to remove cancerous tissue with clean margins.
In early stages, regional removal of only cancerous tissue may be sufficient. However, in most cases, extensive surgery may be required.
The aim of treatment is to remove the cancer completely, but in some cases it may spread to other organs.
When deciding on treatment, planning should be done together with medical oncologists. Each patient's treatment is individual and should be planned according to their characteristics. Information on colon cancer surgery methods will be presented below.
Right Hemicolectomy Surgery
Right hemicolectomy is an operation for cancer of the right colon (large intestine) that develops on the right side of the large intestine, near where it joins the small intestine.
In this surgery, the right side of the colon and the lymphatic surrounding tissue are removed. Afterwards, the small intestine is combined with the rest of the large intestine to provide intestinal continuity. This allows the patient to defecate normally.
Extended Right Hemicolectomy and Segmentary Resection
These are surgical methods used in the treatment of tumors in the region called the transverse colon, located between the right and left parts of the large intestine.
In transverse colon cancers, extended right hemicolectomy is preferred to remove enough lymphatic tissue. In this operation, the right side of the large intestine and the transverse colon are removed up to the spleen. In this operation, continuity between the small intestine and the large intestine can be maintained.
In some cases, if transverse colon cancer is at an early stage, it may be sufficient to remove only the transverse colon. In this case, an operation called segmentary resection is performed.
After segmentary resection, both ends of the large intestine are added to each other and intestinal continuity is ensured. After both operations, the patient can have normal defecation.
Left Hemicolectomy and Colorectal Anastomosis
It is a surgical procedure to treat cancers on the left side of the large intestine. In this surgery, the left side of the large intestine and the lymphatic tissue of the descending colon are removed together with the diseased bowel tissue.
After the left side of the large intestine is removed, the transverse colon and the remaining part of the intestine are joined to provide intestinal continuity. This allows the patient to defecate normally.
Similarly, similar surgeries are performed for sigmoid colon cancers on the left side of the large intestine.
Subtotal Colectomy Surgery
Sometimes there may be more than one tumor or polyp on both the right and left sides of the large intestine. In this case, both the right and left sides of the colon may need to be removed.
During this procedure, intestinal continuity is maintained between the small intestine and the rectum. This type of surgery is called 'subtotal colectomy - ileorectal anastomosis'. Patients can still defecate normally after this operation.
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