A Randomized Trial of Laparoscopic versus Open Surgery for Rectal Cancer

In a randomized trial involving more than 1000 patients, outcomes including recurrence rate and overall survival were similar among patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery and those undergoing open surgery. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and accounts for nearly 1.4 million new cases and 694,000 deaths per year. Approximately one third of all colorectal cancers are localized in the rectum. 1 – 4 Less than a half century ago, rectal cancer had a poor prognosis, with cancer recurrence rates in the pelvic or perineal area (locoregional recurrence) of up to 40% and 5-year survival rates after surgical resection of less than 50%. 5 , 6 In the 1980s, Heald and Ryall 6 introduced a new surgical technique of complete removal of the fatty envelope surrounding the rectum (mesorectum), called total mesorectal . . .