Oncological outcomes of robotic-assisted laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer

We appreciate the opportunity to reply to the editorial by Dr. Kanemitsu (1). In the editorial, Dr. Kanemitsu underlined the incidence of lateral lymph node metastasis in patients with T3/T4 low rectal cancer and the difference in the treatment strategy for lateral lymph node dissection (LLD) between the West and East, particularly in Japan.