Advances in the surgical treatment of colon and rectal cancer.

A family history of colorectal cancer is the basis for risk stratification and allows reliable screening recommendations for individual patients. It is also the starting point for diagnosing hereditary forms of colorectal cancer. The surgical implications of treating hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and familial adenomatous polyposis are briefly described. Laparoscopic colectomy and sentinel node biopsies are new techniques with potential application in the treatment of colon cancer. For rectal cancer, advances have resulted in better preoperative staging and improved oncologic and functional outcomes. Surgical intervention for recurrent colorectal cancer requires careful patient selection and a multidisciplinary approach. The evaluation and treatment of patients with different patterns of recurrent colorectal cancer is described.