Despite advances in total neoadjuvant therapy, most patients with rectal cancers continue to require total mesorectal excision (TME) surgery. These procedures are increasingly being conducted laparoscopically, although evidence of non-inferiority to open surgery remains limited, especially for patients with cancers of the lower rectum. Now, data from a prospective study demonstrate the short-term non-inferiority and favourable tolerability of this approach.