The management of rectal cancer with lateral lymph node involvement is distinctly different between Japan and Western countries. In Japan, total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery followed by autonomic nervepreserving lateral pelvic lymph node dissection (LPND) is the standard surgical treatment, whereas in Western countries, patients are subjected to neoadjuvant cheomoradiotherapy followed by TME surgery. The present study aims to explore the current practice and role of LPND in rectal cancer.