The bottom line about bowel cancer The number of bowel cancer cases is increasing in Australia as our population ages. By the end of 2016, an estimated 17,500 new cases of bowel cancer will have been diagnosed this year alone. In comparison, there were just 7,000 cases in 1982. Greenslopes Private Hospital has a dedicated group of colorectal surgeons who have trained in Australia, Great Britain and the United States. Dr Peter Gourlas said they are “highly trained in managing all aspects of colorectal conditions including cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and functional bowel disorders.” It is important for patients and their General Practitioners to recognise early warning signs of colorectal symptoms to improve the long-term outcome of the conditions. “Symptoms such as a recent change in bowel motions (e.g. constipation, diarrhoea), increased frequency of bowel motions, narrow bowel motions, unintentional weight loss, and abdominal pain are all important,” said Dr Gourlas. “Passing blood or mucous is not always just due to haemorrhoids, as it may be a warning sign of cancer. It is important for patients not to throw their Government Faecal Occult tests in the bin – as sadly many patients do, and then present at a point when their cancer is very advanced.” Other conditions, such as diverticular disease, are also very prevalent in Australia with up to 33% of the population over the age of 60 suffering from the condition. greenslopesprivate.com.au | 13 Surgeons at Greenslopes Private Hospital have reached a new milestone with the Da Vinci Xi robot – the most current generation of devices for robotic procedures. Dr Simon Wood has performed the hospital’s 100th operation using the new machine (a robotic prostatectomy), taking our total number of robotic surgeries to more than 3,500 in just eight years. The hospital, which began performing robotic procedures in 2008, now has two robots to drive excellence in patient outcomes. Compared to traditional open surgery or laparoscopic procedures, the Da Vinci Xi offers patients smaller incisions, less risk of infection and pain, and quicker recovery time. Greenslopes is one of the busiest and fastest growing robotic surgery sites in Australia across a wide variety of specialty surgical areas, including: • Urology (e.g. prostatectomy, partial nephrectomy, partial cystectomy, cystectomy) • Gynaecology (e.g. hysterectomy, ovarian cystectomy, lymph node dissection) • General surgery (e.g. sigmoid colectomy) • Colorectal surgery (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, functional bowel disorders) • Hepatobiliary surgery (e.g. distal pancreatectomy) • Other cancers (e.g. pancreaticoduodenectomy) Our robotic future Above: Colorectal surgeon Dr Nicholas Lutton operates using the “da Vinci Xi” robot. Above: Urologist Dr Simon Wood with the da Vinci Xi robot. General and colorectal surgeon Dr Peter Gourlas in theatre.
GPH News Summer 2016
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