Calgary's new approach to stomach and intestinal cancer helps patients recover faster

Doctors say patients undergoing surgery for early-stage stomach and intestinal cancer are recovering faster and going home sooner because of a new surgical approach in Calgary.

The Peter Lougheed Centre is the first on the Prairies to adopt the minimally invasive method for removing cancerous tissue from the gastro-intestinal tract.

Doctors use a small video camera, called an endosope, which is inserted through an orifice of the body.

It then visualizes and removes cancerous tissue from the esophagus, stomach, small intestine or rectum.

Patients can be discharged within 24 hours, unlike other surgeries that could keep them in hospital for several days.

The procedure was originally developed in Japan, and is also being performed in Vancouver, Toronto, Kingston, London, Ottawa and Montreal.