Rectal cancer surgery : what's in a name?

The field of rectal cancer treatment is a dynamic and changing field, due to better understanding of the pathology and new medical treatment options, but perhaps mostly due to innovations in the surgical approach. Surgery is the cornerstone for rectal cancer treatment. Currently, Total Mesorectal Excision is the gold standard. After evolution towards laparoscopic TME, improving technology has led to the development of platforms that allow transanal TME and robotic TME. In addition, local excision can be performed safer and more accurately by means of Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM), TransAnal Minimally Invasive Surgery or Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), possibly avoiding TME. The aim of this review is to summarize the different surgical techniques and approaches for rectal cancer in function of tumor stage and describe the specifics of the technique.