Diagnostic Accuracy of MRI with DWI Versus CT for Assessing Tumor Depth of Invasion in Rectal Carcinoma

EasyChair Preprint 14388

Abstract

Accurate preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma is crucial for guiding optimal treatment strategies and improving patient outcomes. The depth of tumor invasion into the rectal wall, known as the T stage, is a key determinant of the appropriate therapeutic approach. Patients with early-stage disease (T1-T2) may be eligible for less invasive surgical techniques or neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, while those with more advanced disease (T3-T4) typically require more extensive surgical resection.

Conventional computed tomography (CT) imaging has been widely used for preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma. However, CT has limitations in accurately assessing the depth of tumor invasion due to its relatively poor soft-tissue contrast and inability to reliably differentiate between the individual rectal wall layers. In contrast, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the addition of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has emerged as a promising modality for improved preoperative staging of rectal cancer.

DWI provides information about the microscopic diffusion of water molecules within tissues, which can be sensitive to the increased cellular density and altered tissue microstructure associated with malignant tumors. Several studies have suggested that the incorporation of DWI into standard MRI protocols may enhance the diagnostic accuracy for evaluating the depth of tumor invasion in rectal carcinoma compared to CT.

The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracy of MRI with DWI versus CT for assessing the tumor depth of invasion in patients with rectal carcinoma, using histopathological findings as the reference standard.

Keyphrases: cancer, cells, health sciences

@booklet{EasyChair:14388,
  author    = {Shalom Joseph Bayo},
  title     = {Diagnostic Accuracy of MRI with DWI Versus CT for Assessing Tumor Depth of Invasion in Rectal Carcinoma},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 14388},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}