Local Excision of Rectal Cancer Oncologic Results

While radical resection remains the standard treatment for distal rectal cancer, recent improvements in preoperative screening modalities and lower rates of morbidity and mortality have led to renewed interest in local excision. Unfortunately, there are no randomized, controlled trials comparing local excision to APR, and the majority of the data supporting the use of local excision comes from small, single- institution retrospective reviews that do not lend themselves easily to comparison. In this article we will review the current oncologic results available for local excision of rectal cancer. (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.