Cheong C, et al. - Researchers performed a prospective observational study describing the severity of bowel dysfunction following ultralow anterior resection (ULAR) for low-lying rectal cancer in a single-surgeon cohort. Study participants were patients who had sphincter-preserving surgery for low-lying rectal cancer, defined as a tumor located within 5 cm of the anus. There was severe bowel dysfunction in this cohort. Improvement in bowel dysfunction was seen over time, but most patients still had major bowel dysfunction, even 36 months after surgery. Old age, male sex, adjuvant chemoradiation therapy, and ULAR were identified as risk factors for bowel dysfunction. Performing ULAR in carefully selected patients with low-lying rectal cancer was recommended.