Quality assurance in rectal cancer treatment in the Netherlands: a catch up compared to colon cancer treatment

International audience ; In the Netherlands, the Total Mesorectal Excision (TME) surgical technique for rectal cancer was introduced together with pre-operative radiotherapy in a quality controlled manner within the framework of the TME trial (1996-1999). The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the structural changes in rectal cancer care on survival compared to colon cancer for patients treated before, during and after the TME trial.