Over the last decade, with the acceptance of the need for improvements in the outcome of
patients affected with rectal cancer, there has been a significant increase in the literature
regarding treatment options available to patients affected by this disease. That treatment
related decisions should be made at a high volume multidisciplinary tumor board, after pre-
operative rectal magnetic resonance imaging and the importance of total mesorectal
excision (TME) are accepted standard of care. More controversial is the emerging role for …