Oncologic Outcomes After Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision for Rectal Cancer

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Recent series have raised concerns about the oncologic outcomes of transanal total mesorectal excision for mid and low rectal cancer. There is a paucity of large data sets from the United States to contribute to the ongoing international discourse. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the rate of local recurrence and other oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing transanal total mesorectal excision for rectal adenocarcinoma. DESIGN: This study is a retrospective review of patients undergoing transanal total mesorectal excision for primary rectal cancer from January 2014 to December 2019. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at a single academic tertiary care medical center in the United States. PATIENTS: Consecutive patients aged ≥18 years undergoing surgical resection for primary rectal cancer were selected. INTERVENTION: The transanal total mesorectal excision procedures were performed utilizing a 2-team approach. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were pathologic quality, local and distant recurrence, treatment-related complications, and overall- and cancer-specific survival. RESULTS: Seventy-nine consecutive patients were included. The median age was 58 years (interquartile range, 50–64), and median BMI was 28kg/m2 (interquartile range, 24.6–32.4). The mesorectum was complete in 69 patients (87.3%), nearly complete in 9 (11.4%), and incomplete in 1 (1.3%). There was circumferential resection margin involvement (<1mm) in 4 patients (5.1%), and no patients had a positive distal margin (<1mm) or intraoperative rectal perforation. Composite optimal pathology was achieved in 94.9% of specimens. Median follow-up was 29 months (range, 6–68). There were no local recurrences. Distant metastases were found in 10 (13.5%) patients and diagnosed after a median of 14 months (range, 0.6–53). Disease-free survival was 91.2% at 2 years, and overall survival was 94.7% at 2 years. LIMITATIONS: Retrospective design, a single center, and relatively short follow-up period were limitations of this study. CONCLUSION: The oncologic outcomes of this cohort support the use of transanal total mesorectal excision in the surgical management of mid to low rectal cancer at centers with appropriate expertise. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B723.