Surgical interventions in colorectal cancer.

• Current surgical challenges in surgical oncology include the refinement of the techniques that involve the resection of colorectal cancers. The objective is to achieve a negative resection margin as well as minimising the impact on functional outcome and morbidity. • Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is now standard practice at specialist centres with the emergence of novel techniques to reduce the number of incisions and ports. • Although total mesorectal excision is the gold standard for rectal cancers, it is associated with considerable morbidity. Early low-risk rectal cancers may be considered for transanal endoscopic microsurgery, particularly in the elderly. • Metastatic disease is no longer considered a death sentence and improvements in techniques for resection of secondary deposits in the liver and lungs will further increase the group of patients that are suitable for surgery.