Rectum

Abstract

Rectal tumors account for a significant part of a surgeon 's practice, and gaining exposure to the distal rectum, especially in the narrow male pelvis, poses a formidable challenge. Forty-one thousand new rectal tumors are diagnosed in the United States annually. These are more common in males than females, with a ratio of 1: 0.73. The risk of adenocarcinoma of the rectum increases with each year of age. Other tumors can also develop in and about the rectum. These tumors raise both patient and surgeon concerns about tumor control and cure, and anxiety regarding the morbidity of rectal surgery. Fear of colostomy is mingled with fear of fecal or urinary incontinence and, for male patients, impotence as well. In addition to the adenocarcinoma of the rectum, squamous cell carcinoma of the anus, basa-loid tumors, melanomas, and sarcomas of the supporting structures also require detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the region, and the possible routes of local and regional spread. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.