What is minimally invasive surgery?

Minimally invasive surgery uses a few small cuts instead of one large one. According to the National Cancer Institute, in minimally invasive surgery the surgeon makes a few small cuts and inserts a long, thin tube with a tiny camera, called a laparoscope, into one of them. The camera projects images from inside the body onto a monitor, which lets the surgeon see what they are doing. They use special surgery tools inserted through the other small cuts to remove the tumor and some healthy tissue.

This is different from open surgery, in which the surgeon makes one large cut to remove the tumor, some healthy tissue, and maybe some nearby lymph nodes.

Because minimally invasive surgery requires smaller cuts, it takes less time to recover from than open surgery. Your healthcare team can tell you which approach is planned for your surgery and why.