Future Prospects

Abstract

As the 20th century has come to a close, we have seen the introduction of many innovative techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. With certainty, the last two decades will be judged as a milestone in the history of surgery. However, the advances that have been made cannot compare with those that will be possible in the 21st century. It has been fortuitous that the 1990s saw the introduction of a valuable tool for general surgeons that has now become inculcated in virtually every specialty dealing with cancer management. Minimal access approaches to patients with malignant disease have created new methods of diagnosis and treatment that will be extended to future methodologies, allowing novel surgical approaches to be performed. In addition, endoscopic management will give way to the creation of avenues for the application of chemotherapy and radiation therapy techniques.