search
There is no doubt that the total mesorectal excision (TME) is the best surgical treatment for rectal cancer. However it may be a challenging procedure with complications between 30 - 68%.
That is why among other reasons radical surgery should be performed in patients with a favorable balance between risk and benefits. There is a group of patients with early rectal cancer (cT1 sm2/sm2 cN0) that may be treated with local resection, achieving curative surgical treatment with less complications.
In this lecture María Fernandez-Hévia from the gastrointestinal surgery department at Hospital Clinic of Barcelona will explain the modern surgical treatment tailored to patients and tumor characteristics.