Transanal local excision of rectal cancer.

Twenty-five patients with invasive rectal cancer treated by transanal excision between 1978-1989 are presented. Two patients had poorly differentiated tumours and were converted to abdominoperineal resection and one patient had extensive liver metastases documented preoperatively. The remaining twenty-two, mean age 64 years, fulfilled the criteria for local treatment. Eighty-two percent of tumours were T1 or T2 stage. There was no operative mortality. Six complications in five patients occurred, none requiring surgical intervention. Five patients died of unrelated causes without evidence of recurrence at 4, 4, 14, 26 and 58 months. The length of follow-up for the surviving group (17 patients) was 16 to 115 months (mean 63 months). Two patients developed local recurrence at 32 and 60 months. Transanal excision can be curative for selected rectal cancers.