OBJECTIVE Local recurrence is a formidable problem after potentially curative resection for rectal cancer. We attempted to identify possible factors affecting the frequency of local recurrence, focusing on the clearance of the tumor and the margin of resection. METHODS The clinical cohort consisted of 66 patients suffering from rectal carcinoma. All patients underwent a low anterior resection with meticulous pelvic preparation and dissection. The proximal and distal margins of the tumor were measured before fixing for permanent sections. RESULTS Analysis by distance of the tumor from the anal verge revealed that 5 out of 33 patients (15.15%) from the upper rectal group and 7 out of 19 patients (36.8%) from the mid rectal group developed local recurrences (36.8% vs. 15.15% P=0.0369). Analysis by distance of the distal resection margins revealed that 8 out of 12 patients with local recurrence had distal margins less than 2cm, whereas 7 out of 40 patients free of local relapse had margins less than 2cm. Therefore 8 out of 15 patients with distal margins less than 2cm developed local recurrence (53.5%) whereas 4 patients among 37 with margins greater than 2cm developed a local failure (10.8%) (53.5% vs. 10.8% P=4.88E-04). The median survival in all patients of our series was 23 months. The median survival in 52 patients who underwent a potentially curative resection was 42 months. CONCLUSIONS Tumors located in the upper portion of the rectum presented a minor tendency for local recurrence compared to tumors located in the middle of the rectum. Our study provides strong indications that high rate of local recurrences are probably related to the limited anatomic margins that can be obtained in the pelvis during primary resections.