SPHINCTER-SPARING OPERATIONS FOR RECTAL-CANCER

The ideal operation of rectal cancer excises the disease with minimal morbidity. The traditional abdominoperineal resection approach to rect al cancer was considered the surgical gold standard but significant mo rbidity in the form of mandatory stomas and nonhealing perineal wounds prompted a search for a better approach, Since about 1940, sphincter- sparing procedures, such as anterior resection, in appropriately selec ted patients have achieved equal or greater rates of survival and recu rrence with the benefit of an improved quality of life, More recently, transanal local excision and coloanal anastomosis have been used with increasing frequency to spare the sphincter and cure the cancer.