Minimally Invasive Surgery/Robotic Surgery in Small Bowel Cancer

Small bowel tumors are rare malignancies, comprising less than 5% of all gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The most common subtypes are adenocarcinomas, GI stromal tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, and lymphomas. Workup for these masses includes a combination of endoscopic and high-resolution imaging. Small bowel cancers are generally staged using their depth of invasion, regional lymph node involvement, and distant metastasis. While advances in medical oncology have yielded promising results, surgical resection remains central to treatment of small bowel tumors. With a shift toward minimally invasive approaches in surgery, robotic surgery has gained increasing popularity in resection of small bowel tumors.