Objective: To compare the efficacy of anal preserving surgery for aged people with low rectal carcinoma. Methods: Clinical data for a consecutive cohort of 98 rectal cancer patients with distal tumors located within 3cm -7cm of the anal verge were collected. Among these, 42 received anal preserving surgery (35 with Dixon, 3 with Parks and 4 with transanal operations). The local recurrence and survival rates in the above operations were compared with those of the Miles operation in another 56 patients with rectal cancer. Results: The local recurrence and 3-, 5-year survival rates of anal preserving surgery were 16.7%, 64.3% and 52.4%, those of Miles operations were 16.1%, 67.9% and 51.8% respectively (P>0.05). Conclusion: Anal preserving surgery for aged people with low rectal cancer is not inferior to conventional operations in China, with satisfactory long term survival and comparable local recurrence rates.