What is laparoscopic surgery?

Laparoscopic surgery is often referred to as 'key-hole' surgery. This is where small cuts are made in the patient's stomach and then a harmless gas is pumped in to create a working space. Through additional small cuts, a rod shaped telescope, attached to a camera, and other long and narrow surgical instruments are placed into the newly formed space. The surgeon then uses these instruments to perform the surgery and remove the cancer.

Key-hole surgery is used for other types of operations, but its use in colorectal cancer surgery has been limited because of concerns as to how well it works in the long term and concerns that it may cause a spread of the cancer cells. Also because the surgeon can't put his hand directly on the liver and other body organs he/she cannot feel if the cancer has spread and may not be able to confirm how serious the cancer is.

read more at http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/TA17/publicinfo/html