Battle of the scalpels: which technique removes early rectal cancer best?

This study compared two procedures for removing early-stage rectal cancer and non-cancerous growths: transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), a surgical full-thickness removal, and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), a scope-based technique that removes only the inner layers. The goal was to see which method achieves a complete removal more often. The study planned to include 368 adults with early rectal tumors, but it was terminated early, so results are limited.