Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy and Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery Versus Total Mesorectal Excision in T2-T3s N0, M0 Rectal Cancer

Summary

The standard treatment of rectal adenocarcinoma is total mesorectal excision (TME). The technique involves a low anterior rectal or colo-anal resection, very often associated with a protective stoma or abdominal-perineal resection with permanent colostomy. Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) allows access to tumors up to 20 cm from the anal margin, with minimal postoperative morbidity and mortality. Recent studies of T1 rectal adenocarcinomas consider TEM to be the technique of choice. However the treatment of T2 rectal cancers remains controversial. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CT/RT) has achieved a concomitant reduction in local recurrence and an increase in survival. Hypothesis: Patients with rectal adenocarcinoma less than 10 cm from the anal margin and up to 4 cm in size, staged after endorectal ultrasound and MRI as T2 or superficial T3 N0-M0-N0-M0, who underwent surgery after preoperative local chemoradiotherapy (TEM), achieve effective results in terms of local recurrence similar to radical surgery (TME). OBJECTIVES: Primary: To compare the results of local recurrence at 2 years in patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy and TEM and in patients treated with conventional radical surgery (TME). Secondary: To analyse the 3-year survival results in patients treated with CT/RT. Methodology: Multicenter clinical trial in a calculated sample of 173 patients.

Timeline

Start

2010-08

Primary completion

2017-12

Completion

2021-10

Publications

• Background Serra Aracil X, Bombardo Junca J, Mora Lopez L, Alcantara Moral M, Ayguavives Garnica I, Darnell Marti A, Casalots Casado A, Pericay Pijaume C, Campo Fernandez de Los Rios R, Navarro Soto S. [Site of local surgery in adenocarcinoma of the rectum T2N0M0]. Cir Esp. 2009 Feb;85(2):103-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ciresp.2008.09.007. Epub 2009 Feb 5. Spanish.
• Background Serra-Aracil X, Vallverdu H, Bombardo-Junca J, Pericay-Pijaume C, Urgelles-Bosch J, Navarro-Soto S. Long-term follow-up of local rectal cancer surgery by transanal endoscopic microsurgery. World J Surg. 2008 Jun;32(6):1162-7. doi: 10.1007/s00268-008-9512-1.
• Serra-Aracil X, Pericay C, Cidoncha A, Badia-Closa J, Golda T, Kreisler E, Hernandez P, Targarona E, Borda-Arrizabalaga N, Reina A, Delgado S, Espin-Bassany E, Caro-Tarrago A, Gallego-Plazas J, Pascual M, Alvarez-Laso C, Guadalajara-Labajo H, Otero A, Biondo S; TAUTEM Collaborative Group. Chemoradiotherapy and Local Excision vs Total Mesorectal Excision in T2-T3ab, N0, M0 Rectal Cancer: The TAUTEM Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Surg. 2025 Jul 1;160(7):783-793. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2025.1398.
• Motamedi MAK, Mak NT, Brown CJ, Raval MJ, Karimuddin AA, Giustini D, Phang PT. Local versus radical surgery for early rectal cancer with or without neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023 Jun 13;6(6):CD002198. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002198.pub3.
• Serra-Aracil X, Pericay C, Badia-Closa J, Golda T, Biondo S, Hernandez P, Targarona E, Borda-Arrizabalaga N, Reina A, Delgado S, Vallribera F, Caro A, Gallego-Plazas J, Pascual M, Alvarez-Laso C, Guadalajara-Labajo HG, Mora-Lopez L. Short-term outcomes of chemoradiotherapy and local excision versus total mesorectal excision in T2-T3ab,N0,M0 rectal cancer: a multicentre randomised, controlled, phase III trial (the TAU-TEM study). Ann Oncol. 2023 Jan;34(1):78-90. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2022.09.160. Epub 2022 Oct 8.
• Serra-Aracil X, Pericay C, Golda T, Mora L, Targarona E, Delgado S, Reina A, Vallribera F, Enriquez-Navascues JM, Serra-Pla S, Garcia-Pacheco JC; TAU-TEM study group. Non-inferiority multicenter prospective randomized controlled study of rectal cancer T2-T3s (superficial) N0, M0 undergoing neoadjuvant treatment and local excision (TEM) vs total mesorectal excision (TME). Int J Colorectal Dis. 2018 Feb;33(2):241-249. doi: 10.1007/s00384-017-2942-1. Epub 2017 Dec 12.

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