Surgery is the main treatment for colon cancer that has not spread beyond the bowel and its nearby lymph nodes. The affected segment is removed together with the blood vessels and lymph nodes that drain it, and the two healthy ends are then joined.
With a robotic approach the operation is done through a few 8 mm openings. This usually means less pain, earlier return of bowel function, and a shorter hospital stay than open surgery.
Before surgery you will normally have a colonoscopy with biopsy, a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, and blood tests. Your case is discussed in a tumour board so that the plan reflects more than one specialist opinion.
After surgery the removed specimen is examined under the microscope. That report — how deep the tumour went and whether lymph nodes are involved — decides whether chemotherapy is advised afterwards.
General education, reviewed by Dr. Ishaan Allahabadi, MCh Surgical Oncology (Edge Hill, UK) · MS Surgery · MBBS (Accredited by the Royal College of Surgeons of England). Not a substitute for individual medical advice.