Transanal endoscopic microsurgery for upper rectal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Compared with traditional rectal resection, transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is faster and safer. This retrospective study sought to assess the efficacy of TEM for lesions located in the upper rectum, ≥10 cm from the anal verge.

METHODS: Data from all patients who underwent TEM for rectal lesions ≥10 cm from the anal verge between 2001 and 2010 at two medical centers in Israel were retrospectively analyzed. The study group comprised 96 patients (57 men, 39 women) who underwent 99 TEM procedures. Collected data included patient demographics, tumor characteristics, indications for surgery, operative findings and details, postoperative outcomes, and histopathologic findings. Long-term outcomes including local recurrence (LR) for benign lesions and LR and overall survival (OS) for malignant lesions were calculated. Categorical variables were calculated by frequency tables, and linear variables were represented by averages and standard deviation or median with the spread of variables. Survival and LR analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods.

RESULTS: The mean tumor distance from the anal verge was 11.3 ± 2 cm and the median tumor size was 2 cm. Early postoperative outcomes were favorable, and no early postoperative mortality was reported. The postoperative morbidity rate was 10%. For long-term outcomes, in the subgroup with benign lesions, after a median follow-up of 8.7 years, the LR rate was 5.1%. In the group with malignant lesions, LR and OS rates were 6.9 and 87%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: TEM for upper rectal lesions is feasible and may be safe in selected cases. Low morbidity rate, shorter operative time and length of stay, no mortality events, and favorable long-term outcomes support the use of TEM for the treatment of lesions in the upper rectum.