[Tumor surgery and quality of life--reconstructive rectal surgery]

Numerous innovations in recent years have allowed a variable therapeutic approach for rectal cancer with a concomitant drastic reduction in extirpations. This development was paralleled by an increasing research into postoperative quality of life in colorectal cancer. This showed that a very ambitious preservation of the sphincter does not automatically lead to good quality of life. On the other hand is the expectation of healing a generally important factor in a good quality of life. Whether routine evaluation of quality of life data does in fact improve medical care is an open question.