Beets-Tan RGH, Beets GL, Vliegen RFA, Kessels AGH, Van Boven H, DeBruine A, et al. Accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging in prediction of tumour-free resection margin in rectal cancer surgery.
Rectal cancer has a marked tendency to recur locally.
There are few areas where surgical technique affects cancer recurrence as much as in rectal cancer. The surgical procedure that leads to the lowest recurrence rates is the so-called mesorectal excision. In this procedure the surgeon performs a meticulous sharp dissection along the mesorectal fascia, excising the rectum and the adjacent fat en-bloc . There is a very strong emphasis on the quality of the surgical specimen, and the goal is to have a tumor free resection. Mesorectal excision is frequently not used in the United States, where rectal cancer incision is often done bluntly, resulting in cancer cells remaining in the patient.