Oncological safety of laparoscopic surgery for low rectal cancer

Mené sur 1 039 patients atteints d'un cancer du bas rectum (âge médian : 57 ans ; 40 % de femmes), cet essai randomisé multicentrique évalue la non-infériorité, du point de vue de la survie sans maladie à 3 ans, d'une chirurgie laparoscopique par rapport à une chirurgie par voie ouverte

Résumé en anglais

Given the advantages of laparoscopic surgery, which include cosmesis, reduced pain, and early recovery, the use of this modality has expanded not only in colorectal cancer but in almost every field of surgery. Nonetheless, achieving oncological safety with laparoscopic surgery remains challenging compared with open surgery. This is especially true for low rectal cancer due to the anatomical restriction of the deep, narrow pelvic space, which makes total mesorectal excision (TME) difficult, and could result in incomplete TME and positive circumferential resection margin (CRM).