Conduct high‑quality clinical studies in rectal cancer surgery based upon the IDEAL frame-work and recommendations

The idea, development, exploration, assessment, and long-term follow-up (IDEAL) framework and recommendations provide a guiding path for high‑quality research and practice for surgical technology innovation. Transanal total mesorectal excision, as a new technology in the field of colorectal surgery, has evolved step by step following the IDEAL framework. At the technical design and development stage, the technique feasibility is verified. At the exploratory stage, small-scale clinical practice is conducted, standardized diagnosis and treatment and surgical technique are developed, and structured training is carried out. During the assessment stage, large‑scale rando-mized controlled studies are conducted to confirm the safety and efficacy. Subsequently, long-term monitoring and follow‑up of the technique is carried out in clinical practice. All the processes become good example in the field of surgical clinical research. The authors summarize the pioneering works of the research team in quality control, in order to provide references for peers.