ABSTRACT
Despite its first description in 1948, pelvic exenteration (PE) still remains a surgical challenge associated previously with a high mortality and significant morbidity.1, 2, 3 Such extensive radical surgery aims to completely resect all malignant disease to achieve an R0 resection (i.e. a clear resection margin). In order to accomplish this, complete or partial removal of all the pelvic viscera, vessels, muscles, ligaments, and part of the pelvic bone (ileum, ischium, pubic rami, sacrum, or coccyx) may be required. While the role of PE still remains somewhat controversial, without resection patients have a poor prognosis with less than 4 percent surviving four years.4 Non-surgical treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, provide only temporary relief of symptoms in most cases, with continual disease progression resulting in pain, bleeding, intestinal and urinary fistulae and obstruction prior to death.
