Transanal treatment of rectal cancer by rigid platform

Transanal endoscopic surgery is a well-established minimally invasive option for the surgical management of selected rectal cancer patients. Transanal endoscopic surgery represents the gold standard for the transanal excision (TAE) of rectal tumors, since it allows to perform a “en bloc” full thickness local excision and is associated with lower recurrence rates than conventional TAE with retractors. Patients undergoing transanal endoscopic surgery for selected early rectal cancer experience less complications and report better functional outcomes than patients treated with abdominal rectal resection and total mesorectal excision (TME); long-term survival rates are similar. To date, two different rigid platforms are available to perform a transanal endoscopic surgery procedure: the transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) platform that was conceived by Buess and the more recent transanal endoscopic operation (TEO) platform.