Radicalitate versus funcţionalitate în chirurgia oncologică colorectală

The last three decades of the 20th century have brought an important change in the multidisciplinary approach of colorectal cancer. From large-scale surgery, whose only reason was the safety excision of the tumor, gradually developed a new current, the multidisciplinary treatment for colorectal cancer. Nowadays the main idea is of radical intervention but associated with a good quality of life, idea of radical intervention in terms of a closer to normal functionality. Technological advances of the past years have steadily improved the results after colorectal surgery but at the same time paved the way for excesses both in positive and negative ways. Thus, the increasing approach for laparoscopic surgery had led to practice “heroic” surgery, allowing low and ultralow resections with restoring the digestive continuity, but sometimes with questionable radicalism and functional implications. Not only the surgeon, but also the patient should be aware of the possibility of functional complications that inevitably must be assumed. Such complications can be prevented, monitored and successfully treated.