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Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology 6, 385–386 (1 July 2009) | doi:10.1038/nrclinonc.2009.86

Surgery: Apples and oranges: the low and mid versus the upper rectum

Martin Weiser & Leonard Saltz

Prospective, randomized trials have shown that laparoscopic colectomy for colon cancer is associated with improved short-term recovery without a negative effect on oncologic outcome. This led investigators to question whether similar benefits can be seen in rectal cancer.