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Advancing Colon Cancer Surgery with the “NICE” Technique
Advancing Colon Cancer Surgery with the “NICE” Technique
by Jonathan S. Feinberg
Surgery is the cure for colon cancer, but the invasive procedure is fraught with risk and can negatively affect patients’ quality of life. “We’re striving to develop ways to remove cancer in the least invasive fashion so patients can have a quicker recovery and get back to their lives, all while having fewer complications and lower rates of having a colostomy bag,” says Eric Haas, MD, Chief of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Houston Methodist. To that end, Dr. Haas and his colleagues in the Department of Surgery have pioneered what they call the “NICE technique,” a Natural Orifice Robotic Surgery technique that uses the rectum as a natural entry point through which to remove the cancer.
Eric Haas, MD
Historically, patients underwent open surgery for colon cancer resection, which entails making an incision across the belly as an entry point. Laparoscopic surgery followed and is considerably less invasive, but it still requires an incision. The idea of using the body’s natural orifices, instead of an incision, as an entry point was first reported in 1990, but the concept lay dormant for years, as surgeons lacked the technologies needed to realize it.
In 2018, enabled by the development of robotic surgery, which utilizes advanced instrumentation supplemented with artificial intelligence, Dr. Haas and his colleagues performed the first surgical resection for colon cancer using the NICE technique. Since then, they have published their experience and garnered interest from surgeons worldwide, many of whom have come to Houston to learn the technique.
“It’s really put us on the map,” says Dr. Haas. Importantly, Dr. Haas and his team have found that, for patients who undergo this procedure, return of bowel function is significantly faster and hospital length of stay after surgery is only about half as long as for patients who undergo traditional surgical resection for colon cancer. What’s more, the NICE technique has almost completely eliminated opioid use and surgical site infections for colon cancer patients. Through this breakthrough technology, Houston Methodist is revolutionizing care to improve the lives of patients with colon cancer.