Foreword

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It seems only a short time ago that laparoscopic cholecystectomy was introduced into surgical practice. Initially, there were many doubts about the practicality and safety of the technique, however, these were soon dispelled and the procedure quickly replaced standard open cholecystectomy. It is remarkable how much the field of “minimally invasive surgery” has expanded and gained application in all fields of surgery. In this issue of Current Problems in Surgery Dr. Sharon Weber and her colleagues write an excellent monograph demonstrating the usefulness of laparoscopy as a staging technique for malignancies of the liver, biliary tract, pancreas and stomach. Their highly informative and practical treatise will be useful to general surgeons and clinicians in all fields of oncology.