Narrative review on fusion space concept in colorectal cancer surgery

Colorectal surgery has entered the era of membrane anatomy. Total mesorectal excision (TME) and complete mesocolic excision (CME) can significantly improve the 5-year survival rate of patients with colorectal cancer. The complete excision of the mesentery is of great significance for the prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer, and the radical evaluation of colorectal cancer is based on the integrity of the mesentery of the resected gross specimen. However, in right colon cancer surgery, there are still significant controversies and uncertainties in the understanding of the abdominal fascial system and surgical plane, such as Toldt's fascia and Fredet's fascia. This situation is further aggravated by the confusion in nomenclature. Since the same fascia often has different terminologies, which hinders academic communication, Since the same fascia often has different terminologies, which hinders academic communication, we conducted a narrative review of the right colon fascia system based on our personal experience and a literature review. We discovered that although the current terminology remains non-uniform, the concept of fusion space seems to be the most useful in surgical practice and has histological justification.