Surgery of rectal cancer. Current concepts

The treatment concepts of rectal cancer have dramatically changed within the past decade. Modern rectal cancer surgery is carried out within the framework of multimodal concepts together with medical and radiation oncology in specialized high-volume centers and with good short and long-term results. This article is an evidence-based review regarding modern concepts of rectal cancer surgery. A systematic search in PubMed and MEDLINE as well as a manual search were carried out to review relevant articles published up to September 2014. After the introduction of total mesorectal excision as the gold-standard for rectal cancer surgery the long-term results have significantly improved. Treatment of patients is embedded within multimodal therapy concepts. Laparoscopic resection is routinely carried out in selected patients. Rectal cancer surgery has improved in the last decade. Nowadays, patients are treated in high-volume centers with low operative morbidity and mortality and good long-term overall survival.