Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Surgery for Colorectal Cancer
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Methods and Technologies Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2026 | Viewed by 28
Special Issue Editors
Interests: colon cancer; rectal cancer; robotic surgery; transanal minimally invasive surgery
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The incidence of colorectal cancer continues to rise in many parts of the world, particularly among young individuals. Despite advances in neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapies and the introduction of nonoperative management, surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment. Colectomy and proctectomy are commonly performed procedures for colorectal cancer and historically were approached through a midline laparotomy incision. However, the revolution of laparoscopy changed the landscape of surgery for colorectal cancer. With the support of several landmark studies, such as the COST trial, laparoscopy was rapidly adopted for colon cancer surgery, offering patients high-quality surgical resections with less morbidity, faster postoperative recovery, and improved quality of life. Laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery also became common practice, but its uptake was slower as compared to laparoscopic colectomy, likely due to the anatomic constraints and technical challenges of pelvic surgery. The robotic surgery platform, introduced for colorectal surgery in the 2000s, rapidly surpassed laparoscopy in many centers worldwide for both minimally invasive colectomy and proctectomy. Despite the technological advantages of robotic-assisted surgery, other considerations, such as learning curve, availability, and cost, are paramount to the discussion surrounding which minimally invasive platform ought to be used.
In this Special Issue, experts in the surgical management of colorectal cancer will review the evidence of laparoscopy and robotic-assisted surgery for different clinical scenarios. The objective of this Special Issue is to help inform readers of the advantages and disadvantages of each platform and how to responsibly implement each of these platforms.
Dr. Richard Garfinkle
Dr. Nicholas P. McKenna
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- colon cancer
- rectal cancer
- colorectal cancer
- robotic surgery
- laparoscopic surgery
- transanal surgery
- minimally invasive surgery
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