Our team has previously published articles providing detailed descriptions of the steps involved in both RS and LS. All surgeries adhered to the total mesorectal excision (TME) principle. In RS, a surgeon employed the Da Vinci Xi surgical system featuring a five-port setup, while five physicians conducted LS with a similarly configured five-port approach. Both the RS and LS doctors are experienced. The surgeries were conducted according to standard procedures, and the RS group utilized totally robotic rectal resection.

Inclusion Criteria:

(1) confirmed pathology of mid-to-low rectal cancer (within 10 centimeters from the anal margin); (2) availability of comprehensive pathological and computed tomography (CT) data; (3) presence of a diagnosis indicating visceral obesity.

Exclusion Criteria:

Multiple tumor

This retrospective investigation included participants who experienced anterior rectal resection using robotic or laparoscopic techniques at the General Surgery Department of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital between December 2019 and October 2023.