Abstract: Patients with local advanced rectal cancer (LARC) can benefit from neoadju-vant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) of reducing local recurrence rate and improving survival rate. However, tissue edema after nCRT may lead to unclear tissue spaces, making it challenging for lymph node dissection and nervous system protection. The difficulty in locating inferior margin of tumor after clinical complete remission or closing to clinical complete remission, as well as the increasing risk of anastomotic leakage after nCRT, pose difficulties and new challenges of total mesorectal excision for middle and low rectal cancer. Based on literatures and clinical experiences, the authors summarize the difficulties and strategies of total mesorectal excision after nCRT, in order to provide reference for colleagues.