Laparoscopy for staging and palliation of gastrointestinal malignancy

Laparoscopy can be used to stage primary and metastatic hepatic malignancy, pancreatic carcinoma, gastrointestinal tumors from the esophagogastric junction to the distal colon, and other intraabdominal tumors. It serves to complement, rather than replace, imaging studies and arteriography by assessing resectability. When resection is not feasible, laparoscopic bypass or stoma construction can be used to provide palliation. The rapid recovery associated with laparoscopic surgery is particularly advantageous to the cancer patient with a limited lifespan.