Laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer: the new standard of care?

The highly anticipated long-term oncologic outcomes of the landmark “Colorectal Cancer Laparoscopic or Open Resection (COLOR) II trial” were finally released in the April 2015 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (1). The authors are to be congratulated for their success in designing and conducting a rigorous, large-scale trial, requiring a substantial investment in time and effort to answer a pertinent clinical question regarding the care of colorectal cancer patients worldwide.