Background: The risks of local recurrence and treatment-related morbidity need to be balanced after local excision of early rectal cancer. The aim of this meta-analysis was to determine oncological outcomes after local excision of pT1-2 rectal cancer followed by no additional treatment (NAT), completion total mesorectal excision (cTME) or adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy (aCRT). Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The primary outcome was local recurrence. Statistical analysis included calculation of the weighted average of proportions. Results: Some 73 studies comprising 4674 patients were included in the analysis. Sixty-two evaluated NAT, 13 cTME and 28 aCRT. The local recurrence rate for NAT among low-risk pT1 tumours was 6⋅7 (95 per cent c.i. 4⋅8 to 9⋅3) per cent. There were no local recurrences of low-risk pT1 tumours after cTME or aCRT. The local recurrence rate for high-risk pT1 tumours was 13⋅6 (8⋅0 to 22⋅0) per cent for local excision only, 4⋅1 (1⋅7 to 9⋅4) per cent for cTME and 3⋅9 (2⋅0 to 7⋅5) per cent for aCRT. Local recurrence rates for pT2 tumours were 28⋅9 (22⋅3 to 36⋅4) per cent with NAT, 4 (1 to 13) per cent after cTME and 14⋅7 (11⋅2 to 19⋅0) per cent after aCRT. Conclusion: There is a substantial risk of local recurrence in patients who receive no additional treatment after local excision, especially those with high-risk pT1 and pT2 rectal cancer. The lowest recurrence risk is provided by cTME; aCRT has outcomes comparable to those of cTME for high-risk pT1 tumours, but shows a higher risk for pT2 tumours.

The aim of this study was to evaluate interobserver variability between individual pathologists and a panel of pathologists in the histopathological assessment of advanced colorectal neoplasms in the Dutch bowel cancer screening population. Methods and results: Histological slides of adenomas with high-grade dysplasia and early colorectal carcinomas (CRC) from 20 different laboratories were reviewed by the pathology panel of the Dutch bowel screening programme. Interobserver variability was reported by descriptive statistics. In addition, potential clinical consequences of discrepancies were evaluated. A total of 104 cases of adenomas with high-grade dysplasia and 83 early CRCs were reviewed.Discrepancies were observed in 41 of 104 (39.4%) adenoma cases, which potentially had clinical consequences in 16 (15.4%) cases. For CRC, discrepancies were shown in 44 of 83 cases (53.0%) and would have potentially led to alternative treatment strategies in 25 (30.1%) cases. Most frequently, discrepancies were observed in the assessment of lymphovascular invasion (23 of 73 cases, 31.5%). Conclusion: This study showed that considerable interobserver variability is present in the histopathological assessment of advanced colorectal neoplasia, which may impact upon treatment choices. Additional stains and education, as well as intercollegial consultation, might decrease this variability.

Background Total mesorectal excision (TME) gives excellent oncological results in rectal cancer treatment, but patients may experience functional problems. A novel approach to performing TME is by single‐port transanal minimally invasive surgery. This systematic review evaluated the functional outcomes and quality of life after transanal and laparoscopic TME. Methods A comprehensive search in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and the trial registers was conducted in May 2019. PRISMA guidelines were used. Data for meta‐analysis were pooled using a random‐effects model. Results A total of 11 660 studies were identified, from which 14 studies and six conference abstracts involving 846 patients (599 transanal TME, 247 laparoscopic TME) were included. A substantial number of patients experienced functional problems consistent with low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). Meta‐analysis found no significant difference in major LARS between the two approaches (risk ratio 1·13, 95 per cent c.i. 0·94 to 1·35; P = 0·18). However, major heterogeneity was present in the studies together with poor reporting of functional baseline assessment. Conclusion No differences in function were observed between transanal and laparoscopic TME.