Short- and long-term outcome following laparoscopic versus open resection for carcinoma of the rectum in the multimodal setting.

Background: Laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer has remained controversial because of the lack of level 1 evidence regarding oncologic safety and long-term survival.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of laparoscopic versus open resection for rectal cancer on clinical and oncologic outcome in the multimodal setting.

Design: This is a review of prospectively gathered data from a single-institution rectal cancer database.