Application of Minimally Invasive Techniques for Cancer Diagnosis, Staging, and Management

Session Description:  Minimally invasive techniques using endoscopy greatly facillitates the diagnosis, staging, and management of neoplasia in our small animal patients.   Over 40 years of experience with rigid and flexible endoscopes has provided extensive clinical experience supporting the advantages of minimally invasive appproaches.  In this context minimally invasive procedures is not limited to minimally invasive surgery but encompases all aspects of diagnostic endoscopy, interventional endoscopy, and minimally invasive surgery.   These minimally invasive procedures can be used in all areas of the body, with emphysis in this presentation, on the urinary tractc, nasal cavity, thorax, and abdomen.   A primary focus of this presentation is to increase the application of insrumentation already in most practices using procedures well within the skillset of internists and general practitioners.    Many of these techniques are underutilized and their increased application benefits the patient, the client, and the practice.  I strongly believe and can support the statement that a patient comes into every practice every day who would benefit from a minimally invasive procedure, or to take it one step further, every patient who comes into every practice every day would benefit from a minimally invaisve procedure.   Following these premises we need to ask ourselves "what can I scope today?"  and for every patient "will this patient benefit from a minimally invasive procedure?"