[Local excision of rectal carcinoma]

From January 1985 till December 1994 109 patients with rectal carcinoma were treated by local excision, in 36 patients a radical operation was performed afterwards. In the assessment of tumor infiltration endosonography was superior to rectal-digital examination. In 34 patients with local excised "low risk" T1-carcinomas and tumor free margins no local recurrence was observed. Two of ten patients with local excised "low risk" T1-carcinoma and no adequate margin of healthy tissue developed a local recurrence. Regarding our results the local excision of "low risk" T1-carcinomas seems justified, if final histological workup reveals an adequate margin of healthy tissue.