Re-examination of the standardization of colon cancer surgery

The standardization of colon cancer surgery has been an area of intense interest. The recent establishment of the complete mesocolic excision (CME) technique has defined the operative approach for colon cancer surgeries and enabled the collection of high-quality oncological specimens for histopathological evaluation. Standard for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer (2010), issued by the Ministry of Health of China, has provided legal bases for the treatment of colorectal cancers. However, certain confusions remain due to lack of detailed guidelines for operations. This raised the key question: "What is the standardized colon cancer surgery?" The present study re-examined the core ideas of General Rules for Clinical and Pathological Studies on Cancer of the Colon, Rectum and Anus (seventh edition) published by the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum. CME-related studies published in English academic journals between April 2009 and July 2012 were surveyed and analysed. Several technical issues related to the requirement of R0 resection were analysed, including the theoretical basis for the safety range of bowel resection and the rational determination of the range of regional lymph node dissection.