Abstract: Objective To investigate the clinical value of anal endoscopy in combination with laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of early rectal cancer. Methods Thirty-seven patients with early rectal cancer who underwent laparoscopic surgery from January 2017 to December 2021 were selected as the laparoscopic group, and 69 patients with early rectal cancer who underwent anal endoscopy combined with laparoscopic surgery during the same period were selected as the combined group. The clinical data of the two groups were retrospectively analyzed. Results There were no significant differences in operation time, intraoperative blood loss volume, and number of lymph node dissection between the two groups （P>0.05）. The abdominal incision length, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative ambulation time, and length of hospital stay in the combined group were significantly shorter than those in the laparoscopic group （P<0.05）, and the incidence rate of complications was also significantly reduced in the combined group （P<0.05）. Conclusion Compared with traditional laparoscopic surgery, anal endoscopy in combination with laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of early rectal cancer is beneficial to postoperative recovery of patients, and can reduce the incidence of complications, showing promising clinical application value.

Key words: Early rectal cancer, Laparoscopy, Anal endoscopy