Background: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery has recently gained acceptance as an alternative minimally invasive surgical technique for the curative management of large rectal adenomas and selected early rectal carcinomas.
Objectives: To analyze our 8 year experience using TEM for the management of rectal cancer.
Methods: Local resection by TEM was performed in patients with benign tumors and early rectal cancer. In addition, selected patients with T2 and T3 rectal cancers who were either medically unfit or unwilling to undergo radical surgery were also treated with this modality. Radical surgery was offered to all patients with incomplete tumor excision by TEM.
Results: Overall, 116 TEM operations for rectal tumors were carried out between 1995 and 2003, including 74 patients with rectal adenomas and 42 patients with rectal carcinomas. In 25 patients, TEM successfully removed all T1 tumors with clear tumor margins. Fourteen patients had T2 cancer and 3 of them (21%) required additional radical surgery due to incomplete excision. Local recurrence was observed in one patient with T2 cancer. There was no mortality. Major surgery or radiotherapy-related complications requiring additional surgical intervention was needed in five patients with T2 cancer.
Conclusions: Local excision by TEM is a safe surgical procedure and should be offered to highly selected patients with early rectal cancer.