Study: Pre-Operative MRI Accurate for Assessing Recurrent Cancer

British researchers report that a study has shown that a pre-operative MRI is an accurate technique for assessing the extent of recurrent or residual colon or rectal cancer.

The researchers, reporting in the journal Clinical Radiology, said they compared the MRI assessment of 27 patients with recurrent or residual colon, rectal or anal cancer with subsequent surgical and pathology findings.

"Overall MRI accuracy in determining tumor invasion for all sites assessed was 91 percent," the researchers reported.

They also found the MRI results superior to the assessment made during staging examinations of the patients while they were under anaesthesia.

"For those anatomical sites evaluated by both examination under anesthesia (EUA) and MRI, MRI was superior to EUA, with an accuracy of 89 percent vs 73 percent," the researchers reported.

"MRI is an accurate technique for assessing disease extent in recurrent/residual pelvic bowel cancer," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: Oncology