Chennai, India (CU)_ Over the past six years, the Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery has successfully performed more than 500 colorectal procedures. Since 2016, the institution has been providing minimally invasive robotic surgical procedures and cutting-edge technologies for the treatment of patients with colorectal illnesses.
In the past two decades, the incidence of colorectal cancer among young individuals in their 20s to 40s has increased. If colon cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages, it is totally curable, and Robotic Colorectal Surgery enables patients to avoid colostomy and live a normal life. Venkatesh Munikrishnan, Consultant Colorectal & Robotic Surgeon at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, emphasized the significance of early detection and the effect it has on patients’ recovery.
Dr Venkatesh Munikrishnan explained about the importance of timely detection of cancer and its treatment. He said, “A matter of concern has been the rise in patients coming with late-stage cancer. There is an urgent need to educate patients to prevent this ‘stage migration’. There is an urgent need to create awareness as symptoms of colorectal cancer and benign conditions such as hemorrhoids are similar”.
Dr Venkatesh added, “We are able to perform complex surgeries to remove the cancer and reconstruct the colon to rectal/ anal connection, thus avoiding a permanent colostomy. The use of robotic surgery also has several short-term benefits such as less blood loss, quicker recovery, and better maintenance of normal bodily function”.
Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice-Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, expressed confidence in the hospital’s advanced treatments. She said, “At Apollo, we are bringing in cutting edge medical technology, representing the next era of healthcare innovation to treat cancers. In 2016, we started a specialized department for Colorectal Surgery and also simultaneously started Robotic Colorectal Surgery. This has led to precision surgery that causes minimal side-effects in patients. Over the last few years, there have been advances in minimally invasive techniques such as Robotic Colorectal Surgery, which has led to significant change in the management of colorectal diseases, particularly for rectal cancer surgery.”
