Use of electrochemotherapy in a combined surgical treatment of local recurrence of rectal cancer

Abstract

Recurrence of rectal cancer (RRC) affects up to one-third of patients. The survival is strictly dependent on the possibility of performing surgery without microscopic tumor residues (R0). Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is based on the effect that electric pulsations have on increasing the permeability of the cell membrane to certain drugs. We propose the association of ECT to the surgical excision of perineal RRC in a 72-year-old male patient. Given the proximity between the recurrence and the urethra, it was decided to use ECT in order to clean any further neoplastic residues 10 mm from the surgical resection margin. Pelvic MRI at 4 and 7 months and clinical follow-up conducted for 9 months did not document disease recurrence. ECT combined with surgery can prove to be a valid choice in selected cases and could be the best treatment the patient is willing to accept.

Experience in the Application of Augmented Reality Technology in the Surgical Treatment of Patients Suffering Primary and Recurrent Pelvic Tumors

“…According to various authors, about 18-32% of newly identified malignant neoplasms of the pelvic organs are locally widespread. This extent of spread can lead to the refusal of radical surgery and the prescription of palliative therapy, resulting in a total life expectancy of 1 to 6 months [2][3][4].…”

Practical Application of Augmented/Mixed Reality Technologies in Surgery of Abdominal Cancer Patients

“…One of the most important positions is the zone of the primary location of the tumor, its volume, and direction/deepness of invasion. Moreover, the radicality of the performed surgical intervention affects the risk of recurrence and the need for reoperation [ 1 , 2 ]. All this determines the need for an accurate preoperative and intraoperative visualization of both the tumor itself and the anatomical structures surrounding it, taking into account their topography and the individual characteristics of the patient, especially if there was a previous surgical intervention in this anatomical zone [ 3 , 4 ].…”