Accuracy of MRI in Rectal Cancer After Preoperative Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy

Abstract

About 1/4 colorectal cancers are related to the rectum. There 40.000 patients with the mean age of 50 years diagnosed with rectal cancer in USA. The symptoms are in a wide spectrum such as rectal bleeding, changing of defecation habits, pain, incontinenecy in the case of esphincter invasion. The diagnosis depends on getting a detailed history and a physical examination. For years the main treatment of rectal cancer was abdominoperineal resection with permanent clostomy. Todays treatment plan includes less invasive surgical techniques combined with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy which results in less recurrent rates. MRI is a reliable modality in staging primary tumors but there has been conflicts about its accuracy for restaging after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. In this study, accuracy, sensitivity and specifity of MRI will be discussed.