Tasmania has recently discovered a new surgical technique that halves the recovery time for patients who are undergoing a major bowel cancer surgery.

Emilio Mignanelli from Calvary Health is one of the only two Australian surgeons who perform the technique.

This new medical breakthrough involves a single small incision through the belly button instead of having five cuts to a patient's abdomen.

Traditional keyhole surgery needs up to five incisions and an average of eight days recovery time in hospital.

Dr Mignanelli said that the new technique is less painful, will leave a smaller scar and halves the time spent in hospitals.

For patients who had undergone the new procedure, their length of stay was reduced to four days, he said.

Nearly 50 percent of patients will go home in two days after their surgery, which is a lot of improvement compared to what has been traditionally in the past.

Dr Mignanelli said that the procedure is still relatively unknown.

It is so new that a lot of patients still don't know that it exists, he said.

Most patients are still shocked that we can take the bowel out using keyhole surgery.

When you tell that that you can do it through one incision, you can tell they are quite surprised and pleased.

Medicine Cancer