[Endoscopic surgery for gynecologic malignancy--less invasive, more radical]

The development of endoscopic equipment and surgical skills make more complicated procedures possible laparoscopically. The application of these techniques to oncologic surgery, which used to be basically the most invasive procedure, has become an important issue when considering patient well-being. For cervical and endometrial cancer we can perform a simple hysterectomy, type II or a type II radical hysterectomy as well as a pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. For ovarian cancer endoscopic procedures are advantageous for surgical staging, and even debulking surgery is possible in selected cases. The short-term outcome is excellent because post-operative recovery is quick, resulting in no delays in adjuvant therapy and a quick return to normal activity. As for the long-term results, although the number of cases and the observation period are limited, at present the outcome does not differ greatly from the results of conventional laparotomy.