The hypothesis of the present trial was that the use of a defunctioning loop stoma reduces the rate of symptomatic anastomotic leakage from 15% to 7.5% after low anterior resection of the rectum for cancer.

The assumption that a defunctioning loop stoma reduces symptomatic anastomotic leakage from 15% to 7.5%, with a level of statistical significance of 5% and a statistical power of 80%, requires randomization of 220 patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Absence of intraoperative adverse events according to the study protocol and the operating surgeon.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of intraoperative adverse events according to the study protocol and the operating surgeon.

Patients operated for rectal cancer in whom low anteriror resection with or without preoperative adjuvant treatment was the planned treatment, who did not have any intraoperative adverse events and who had accepted participation.