Coloanal anastomosis or abdominoperineal resection for very low rectal cancer: what will benefit, the surgeon's pride or the patient's quality of life?

Purposes Sphincter-saving operation with coloanal anastomosis (CAA) has become an established option for very low rectal cancer, but few studies have compared its functional results and quality of life (QoL) with abdominoperineal resection (APR) showing controversial results.