Colorectal cancer (CRC) including rectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal tumors, and its incidence is third in the world. At present，surgical treatments is the main means to cure CRC. Total mesorectal excision (TME) is the gold standard for rectal cancer surgery. Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) was recently developed to overcome technical difficulties associated with LaTME and open TME. Most reports are retrospective studies. More studies, especially large-scale, randomized controlled trials are needed to establish the best indications for TaTME for mid and low rectal cancer.This is a single-center, open-label, non-inferiority, randomized controlled trial. A total of 120 eligible patients will be randomly assigned to TaTME group and LaTME group at a 1:1 ratio. It will provide valuable clinical evidence for the objective assessment of the oncological safety，efficacy and potential benefits of TaTME compared with LaTME for mid and low rectal cancer.
This study is designed to evaluate the short-term and long-term results after transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) for the resection of mid and low rectal cancer compared with laparoscopic total mesorectal excision（LaTME）.