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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
The impact of total mesorectal excision in middle and low rectal carcinomas
A A K Tentes1, O S Korakianitis, D Veliovic
1Department of Surgery, Didimotichon General Hospital, Didimotichon, Greece. atentes@did-hosp.gr
Purpose:
The incidence of locoregional recurrence in rectal cancer has declined since total mesorectal excision (TME) has been widely adopted. The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term survival and the incidence of locoregional recurrences in patients with middle and low rectal carcinomas undergoing TME.
Methods:
The medical records of 126 patients with middle and low rectal carcinomas treated from 1987-2007 were retrospectively reviewed. Of them 80 had undergone total mesorectal excision (TME-group) and 46 surgery with conventional methods (CON-group). Clinical variables were correlated to morbidity, hospital mortality, recurrence, sites of recurrence, and survival.
Results:
The groups were comparable except for type of surgery and sites of recurrence. Five-year overall survival rate for TME group was 75% and for CON-group 47% (p=0.0346). Although the groups were not different for the total number of recurrences, the number of locoregional recurrences was significantly lower in TME group (p=0.004).
Conclusion:
TME appears to improve long-term survival in patients with middle and low rectal carcinomas. The incidence of locoregional recurrence is also reduced by TME.
