[Historical evolution and ultimate goal of minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer]

Minimally invasive colorectal surgery has been an entity for just over 30 years. Compared with traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgery has the advantages of less trauma, more delicate operation and faster postoperative recovery. At present, minimally invasive surgery for colorectal tumor shows a diversified trend in terms of surgical approach, surgical platform or surgical methods. Besides, standardized comprehensive treatment and immunotherapy have had far-reaching impacts on the development of minimally invasive surgery. The diagnosis and treatment of perioperative complications is still another important topic in the research of minimally invasive surgery in the future. In addition to the short-term outcomes, the most important thing that patients truly require and emphasize is the permanence of the curative effect, that is, long-term survival and good defecation, urination and sexual function. Thus, permanence is the ultimate goal of minimally invasive surgery. To achieve this, we should strive to correct improper treatment methods, rationally select applicable groups of emerging surgical approaches and surgical platforms, pay more attention to comprehensive tumor diagnosis and treatment, and prudently carry out new technology research on the basis of the basic concept of patient safety.