Treatment of Anastomotic Leakage After Rectal Cancer Resection

Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged 18 years or older;
* Cancer located in the rectum, defined according to the international definition of the rectum consensus \[D'Souza 2019\];
* Rectal cancer resection with primary anastomosis (with or without diverting loop ileostomy) for either primary cancer, completion after local excision or salvage resection for regrowth after watch \& wait or local excision;
* Postoperative anastomotic leakage according to the following definition: "a breach in a surgical join between two hollow viscera, with or without active leak of luminal contents" \[Peel 1991\].

Exclusion Criteria:

* Rectal resection for benign disease;
* Rectal resection for recurrent rectal cancer after previous low anterior resection or other primary malignancies;
* Multivisceral resection (lateral lymph node dissection can be included)
* Emergency resection;