Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of laparoscopic total mesentery excision in elderly patients with rectal cancer and the effects on glutathione (GSH), vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF) and insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) And soluble interleukin2 receptor (sIL-2R). Methods 90 elderly patients with rectal cancer admitted in our hospital from April 2016~August 2017 were randomly divided into control group and laparoscopic group. Two groups of patients were treated with traditional laparoscopic radical resection and laparoscopic total mesentery excision. The levels of serum GSH, VEGF, IGF-1 and sIL-2R in the two groups were analyzed by dynamic monitoring. The visual analogue scores and the recovery of the postoperative pain were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the levels of GSH and IGF-1 in the laparoscopic group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P＜0.05). The level of sIL-2R in the laparoscopic group was gradually decreased after operation. There was no significant difference in the level of sIL-2R between the two groups (P＞0.05). The level of sIL2R in the laparoscopic group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P＜0.05). The recovery time of the first exhaust and going away the bed was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P＜0.05). The complication rate of the laparoscopic group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion Laparoscopic total mesentery excision has a good effect on elderly patients with rectal cancer, which can effectively improve the expression of serum GSH, VEGF, IGF-1 and sIL-2R in patients.