ABSTRACT
The treatment of rectal neoplasia, whether benign or malignant, challenges the surgeon.
The challenge in treating rectal cancer is selecting the proper approach for the appropriate
patient. In a small number of rectal cancer patients local excision may be the best
approach. In an attempt to achieve two goals—cure of disease with a low rate of local
failure and maintenance of function and quality of life—multiple approaches can be
utilized. The key to obtaining a good outcome for any one patient is balancing the
competing factors that impact on these goals. Any effective treatment aimed at controlling
rectal cancer in the pelvis must take into account the disease in the bowel wall itself
and the disease, or potential disease, in the mesorectum. The major downside of local
excision techniques is the potential of leaving untreated disease in the mesorectum.
Local management techniques avoid the potential morbidity, mortality, and functional
consequences of a major abdominal radical resection and are thus quite effective in
achieving the maintenance of function and quality of life goal. The issue for the
transanal techniques is how they fare in achieving the first goal—cure of the cancer
while keeping local recurrence rates to an absolute minimum. Without removing both
the rectum and the mesorectum there is no completely accurate way to determine whether
a rectal cancer has moved outside the bowel wall, so any decision on local management
of a rectal neoplasm is a calculated risk. For benign neoplasia, the challenge is
removing the lesion without having to resort to a major abdominal procedure.
KEYWORDS
Cancer - rectum - neoplasms - transanal - villous adenoma
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Kirk LudwigM.D.
Section of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin
9200 West Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53226
Email: kludwig@mcw.edu