Rectal cancer surgery : what's in a name?

Area of Science:

• Surgical oncology
• Gastrointestinal surgery

Background:

• Rectal cancer treatment is evolving rapidly.
• Surgical innovation is a primary driver of progress.
• Understanding pathology and new medical options also contribute.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review surgical techniques for rectal cancer.
• To correlate techniques with tumor stage.
• To describe the specifics of each surgical approach.

Main Methods:

• Review of current surgical techniques.
• Analysis of approaches based on rectal cancer staging.
• Description of Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) evolution.
• Inclusion of local excision techniques: Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM), TransAnal Minimally Invasive Surgery, Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD).

Main Results:

• Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) remains the gold standard.
• Laparoscopic, transanal, and robotic TME platforms have advanced.
• Minimally invasive local excision techniques offer alternatives to TME.
• Technique selection is dependent on tumor stage.

Conclusions:

• Surgical approach is critical in rectal cancer management.
• Advancements offer tailored and potentially less invasive treatment options.
• Further research into optimizing surgical techniques for different stages is warranted.