| Background: Laparoscopic or robotic Intersphincteric resection is increasingly being performed for lower rectal cancer. Objective: The aim of study was to examine the oncological outcomes and anal functions after intersphincteric resection. Method: We retrospectively examined 63 patients with low rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic or robotic intersphincteric resection, and the characteristics, operative and oncological outcomes, and anal function were examined. We also compared 35 patients with preoperative chemo-radiotherapy (CRT), and 28 patients without CRT. The characteristics, operative and oncological outcomes, and anal function were compared between these two groups. Results: 19 patients (30.1%) were in Stage I, 13 (20.6%) in Stage II, 18 (28.6%) in Stage III, and 3 (4.7%) in Stage IV. 4 patients (6.4%) had positive circumferential resection margin. The recurrence was the lung in 10 patients (15.6%), whereas 3 patients (4.8%) had local recurrence. The 3-year overall survival rate was 89.7%. There were no significant differences in anal function values between the groups with and without CRT. In terms of anal functions, both the maximum resting pressure and the voluntary squeezing pressure showed a tendency to improve during the postoperative period. Conclusion: Laparoscopic or robotic intersphincteric resection is an oncologically safe procedure, and preoperative CRT does not significantly affect postoperative anal function. |
