Outcomes of transanal versus laparoscopic total mesorectal excision for rectal cancer: a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of matched cohort studies.

Background: The perioperative and oncological results of laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME) and transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) have been compared. However, because there are not enough high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the results cannot be trusted. In order to get more trustworthy results, this article analyzed matched cohort studies.