What Is Diagnostic Staging Laparoscopy ?
This is a small surgical procedure carried out under general anesthesia. One to three small incisions are made in the abdomen or chest and via these incisions laparoscope and surgical tools are introduced. The surgeon will look at the inside of your abdomen and this will give the surgeon more information about your cancer. In cancers this provides the valuable information about the possibility for surgical removal of tumor and helps in planning the treatment.
Lapaorscopic cancer surgery involves surgical removal of cancer using same laparoscopic techniques. This may involve adding of few more small cuts to introduce more advanced instruments. Team MACS may proceed to perform the surgical removal of tumor in the same sitting if it is planned so.
When Is This Procedure Required ?
Diagnostic staging laparoscopy is performed to determine the feasibility of the proposed curative cancer surgery. Presently diagnostic staging laparoscopy is strongly indicated for cancers of stomach, esophagus, gall bladder, pancreas, urinary bladder, lymphomas, etc. In other cancers it is optional. This is the first step of every planned major surgical procedure, to find out whether the cancer has spread beyond the limits of surgery. As a part of treatment protocol Team MACS performs staging laparoscopy for every patient with cancers that occur inside chest and abdomen and proceeds to curative surgery in the same sitting, saving the patient both time and money. However, diagnostic staging laparoscopy can be performed separately before the major surgery. If it has spread, treatment plan will change.
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What Is The Advantage Of Diagnostic Staging Laparoscopy ?
Diagnostic staging laparoscopy is a boon to a cancer patient avoiding a large wound when it is not required.
Diagnostic staging laparoscopy is a minor procedure like an investigation that complements the preoperative scans (CT or MRI scan). This is performed as a daycare procedure (when not combined with curative surgery).
The CT or MRI scans have limitations identifying regional extension of the primary tumor and/or spread. During diagnostic staging laparoscopy, the surgeon directly sees the tumor and looks for spread to specific areas. This is more accurate than all scans put together.
During surgery many a time’s cancer is found to be beyond the scope of surgery (inoperable). This leaves the patients with a large wound that takes long time to heal. Diagnostic staging laparoscopy can avoid unnecessary major surgery, leaving the patient with only tiny wounds. The patients can go for further treatment (radiotherapy or chemotherapy) very next day.