Strategies for early rectal cancer
Monday, 30 November 2026, 9:15 am
Roel Hompes
Roel Hompes argues that early rectal cancer should increasingly be approached with organ preservation in mind, rather than automatically proceeding to radical total mesorectal excision (TME). He advocates a local-excision-first, risk-adapted strategy, using the pathology from the local excision to identify patients who genuinely need completion surgery or additional treatment. The goal is to spare carefully selected patients the substantial functional and quality-of-life consequences of radical surgery while maintaining strong oncological outcomes.
About Roel Hompes
Roel Hompes, MD, PhD, is a consultant colorectal surgeon at Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, with a particular expertise in minimally invasive and transanal surgery for colorectal cancer. His recent research focuses on early rectal cancer, organ-preserving and transanal approaches to improve the safety and outcomes of colorectal surgery.
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