London Marathon Raises Money for Bowel Research UK
We are immensely proud of our colorectal and peritoneal surgeon Mr Umar Shariff, who ran the London Marathon this year...
Our surgeons routinely perform surgery for patients with many different types and stages of bowel cancer. Although these procedures are routine for us, we recognise that every patient is an individual facing a unique set of challenges and we aim to provide personalised care that combines surgical expertise with humanity and compassion.
Operations can be performed laparascopically (using keyhole surgery) via small incisions in your abdomen, Robotically (keyhole precision surgery using a state-of-the-art robot), or using open surgery, where an incision of around 20cm is made down the abdomen from the navel.
Your surgeon will discuss which approach might work best for you, as well as the potential risks of surgery and the risks associated with not having surgery. We take care to explain what to expect using everyday language and we encourage you to ask questions.
Among the surgical procedures we offer are:
Right hemicolectomy
This is a surgical procedure to remove a tumour in the right side of your colon (large intestine) . Once removed, the bowel is joined back together again using either sutures (stitching) or using a stapling device.
Left hemicolectomy
This is a surgical procedure to remove a tumour in the left side of your colon (large intestine). Once removed, the bowel is joined back together again using either sutures (stitching) or using a stapling device.
High Anterior resection
A High Anterior resection is surgery to remove a tumour in the Sigmoid colon or upper part of the rectum.
During the surgery, the diseased part of the bowel is removed and the cut ends are joined back together (this join is called an anastomosis). Sometimes the joined sections of bowel need a little longer to heal and in this case the surgeon may make an opening into the small bowel called an ileostomy. Waste from the bowel drains through the ileostomy into a stoma bag. The waste is normally much more liquid than a normal bowel movement. The ileostomy is usually temporary and can be reversed a few months after the bowel operation.
Low Anterior Resection or Total Mesorectal Excision (TME)
This is a procedure that is performed for rectal cancers affecting the middle or lower thirds of the rectum. Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) refers to the removal of the whole of the rectum along with the fatty tissue around the rectum, whichcontain blood vessels and lymph nodes (glands). By removing all the lymph nodes around the tumour, there is a lower risk of the cancer coming back. We also get some important information once these lymph nodes are analysed in the laboratory, to decde whether you would need chemotherapy after surgery.
Abdominoperineal resection (APR)
An abdominoperineal section is surgery to remove your sigmoid colon, rectum and anal canal. It is used to treat a tumour in the lowest part of the rectum where rejoining the bowel is not possible. As with all of the other bowel operation, an abdominoperineal resection can often be done using keyhole surgery (laparascopically or robotically) which helps to speed up recovery times and reduce scarring. If you are having a keyhole procedure a number of small incisions will be made around your abdomen. An incision will also be made around your back passage to remove the anal canal. The area is stitched up, closing up your bottom completely. The end of the large bowel is brought out through the abdomen as a permanent colostomy. Waste from the bowel empties through the colostomy into a stoma bag. If you do require a stoma bag, then we have expert clinical nurse specialists who will counsel and support you both before and after your surgery on how to manage your colostomy.
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