Multicentre study of short-course radiotherapy and transanal endoscopic microsurgery for early rectal cancer

Background Organ-preserving treatment for early-stage rectal cancer may avoid the substantial perioperative morbidity and functional sequelae associated with total mesorectal excision (TME). The initial results of an organ-preserving approach using preoperative short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) and transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS) are presented. Methods Patients with cT1–2N0 rectal cancers staged using high-quality MRI and endorectal...