Newswise — In the May issue of the Diseases of the Colon & Rectum, surgeons from Korea report on a phase II clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of transanal endoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. Over the last several years, there have been increasing reports of this type of surgery for rectal cancer in which a large portion of the surgery is performed through the anal canal. Several groups have championed standardization of this approach in order to optimize outcomes. Drs. Park, Sohn, and their colleagues present a carefully done study in which 49 patients with rectal cancer underwent this procedure over a 13-month period. Further studies regarding patient functional outcomes and long-term oncologic outcome are needed.

Citation: Park SC; Sohn DK, Kim MJ, Chang HJ, Han KS, Hyun JH, Joo J, Oh JH. Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of transanal endoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer. Dis Colon Rectum 2018;61:554-560. doi: 10.1097/DCR.0000000000001058

A prepublication copy is available upon request. Please email Margaret Abby, Managing Editor, Diseases of the Colon and Rectum, at dcrjournalmanagingeditor@gmail.com 

Journal Link: Dis Colon Rectum 2018;61:554-560