Colorectal Surgery

The Department of Colorectal Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University is affiliated with the First Department of General Surgery. It is a key discipline of Liaoning Province and of the hospital. The department currently has 40 beds and admits nearly 500 patients with colorectal tumors annually. There are currently 14 physicians in the department, including 12 with doctoral degrees and 6 doctors who returned to China after studying abroad. Under the initiative of Professor Hu Xiang, a renowned expert in gastrointestinal tumors in China and abroad, the department has established extensive cooperation with major medical centers worldwide. Several physicians have been sent to institutions including Tokyo Medical University in Japan and the National Cancer Center of Japan for further training, and long-term friendly cooperative relationships have been established. Over the past 3 years, the department has completed or undertaken 3 national-level research projects, published 8 papers indexed by SCI, and published more than 10 papers in Chinese core journals. Each year, it hosts the international conference “China (Dalian) China-Japan Summit Forum on Gastrointestinal Tumors.” This has greatly enhanced the department’s academic standing both domestically and internationally. In the evaluation activity for the rapid improvement of Dalian’s medical service capabilities, the department achieved the highest overall score in the city and was awarded the designation of Dalian Colorectal Tumor Diagnosis and Treatment Base. Professor Liu Ge, the department director, holds a doctoral degree from Japan and is a master's supervisor. He currently serves as a national committee member of the Colorectal Surgery Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and as a standing committee member of the Colorectal Cancer Committee of the Liaoning Anti-Cancer Association.

In recent years, with China’s rapid economic growth and continuous improvement in living standards, dietary patterns have also undergone fundamental changes. Consequently, the incidence of colorectal cancer has increased significantly. More than 1,000 new colorectal cancer patients are diagnosed annually in our city. As a key discipline in Dalian, the department’s comprehensive diagnostic and treatment techniques for colorectal tumors have reached an advanced level in China, with the following technical advantages:

1. In 1996, the department was among the first in China to perform radical resection of lower rectal cancer through a combined transsacrococcygeal and abdominal approach. This greatly reduced the local recurrence rate, and the 5-year survival rate reached 80%. The technique attracted considerable attention from experts throughout China, and Professor Hu Xiang was invited to Beijing Cancer Hospital to demonstrate the procedure. More than 600 cases have now been completed. The technique is at a leading level in China.

2. In 2002, the department was the first in Liaoning Province to perform laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer. More than 500 procedures have been performed over the past 3 years, including new techniques such as 3D-navigation-assisted laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer and autonomic nerve-preserving radical resection of rectal cancer, with satisfactory clinical results. These procedures have also been demonstrated repeatedly at major national conferences.

3. The department actively promotes early diagnosis. For relatively early T1 lower and middle rectal cancers and giant polyps, it performs minimally invasive local transanal resection. While ensuring radical treatment, this approach preserves anal function and takes patients’ quality of life into consideration. This procedure is at a leading level in China.

4. The department actively performs sphincter-preserving surgery for lower and middle rectal cancer. For low rectal cancer located within 5 cm of the anal verge without involvement of the anal sphincter, the sphincter-preservation rate is approximately 80%, reaching an advanced level in China.

5. The department’s use of intestinal obstruction tubes to treat obstructive colorectal cancer is also at a leading level in China. After preoperative decompression with an intestinal obstruction tube relieves obstruction of the small intestine and proximal colon, patients with obstructive colorectal cancer undergo one-stage resection and anastomosis, avoiding the burden of a second operation. Nearly 100 cases have been completed over the past 3 years.

6. For recurrent colorectal cancer after surgery, the department conducts multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions and comprehensively evaluates each patient’s condition to select an appropriate treatment method. Among patients with locally recurrent tumors who undergo radical resection, the 5-year survival rate reaches 48%, with favorable treatment outcomes.

For colorectal cancer at different stages, the department strictly follows NCCN guidelines and adopts different treatment protocols. It emphasizes individualized treatment and, while ensuring radicality, gives maximum consideration to patients’ postoperative quality of life, enabling them to return to society with confidence.