Objective To discuss whether age has an influence on short-term effect of intersphincteric resection (ISR) for elderly (≥75 years old) patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer or not. Methods From February 2016 to February 2017, 196 patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer received ISR in the Gastrointestinal Surgery Center of West China Hospital were eligible to include in this study, then they were divided into ≥75 years old group and <75 years old group according to the patients’ age. The intraoperative index, postoperative index, and complications rate were compared between these two groups. Results There were 113 cases in the ≥75 years old group, 83 cases in the <75 years old group, the baselines such as the gender composition, body mass index, tumor histology type, differentiation degree, tumor size, and distance from the anal margin had no significant differences ( P>0.05), but the preoperative anaesthetized ASA grade, proportions of pulmonary insufficiency, hypoproteinemia, anemia, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac insufficiency of the ≥75 years old group were significantly higher than those of the <75 years old group (P<0.05). The operative time, intraoperative bleeding, and total complications rate had no differences between these two groups (P>0.05), the first exhaust time, the first eating time, the first defecation time, the first ambulation time, and hospitalization time of the ≥75 years old group were significantly longer than those of the <75 years old group (P=0.023, 0.037, 0.019, 0.020, and 0.012, respectively). There were no significant differences in the incidences of the anastomotic leakage, perianal infection, intestinal obstruction, and wound infection between these two groups (P>0.05). All the 196 patients were followed-up with an average follow-up of 7 months, there were 4 cases of recurrent patients, of which 3 were in the ≥75 years old group and 1 in the <75 years old group; there were 3 cases of death, of which 2 were in the ≥75 years old group and 1 in the <75 years old group. Conclusions Short-term recovery of elderly patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer is slower than younger patients because of poor preoperative conditions. ISR surgery is still safe and effective for elderly patients with ultra-low rectal or canal cancer and postoperative complications rate has no obvious increase, but it needs a surgeon’s skilled operation technology and multi-disciplinary team cooperation.