Preoperative assessment of prognostic factors in rectal cancer using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging

The aim was to determine the accuracy of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of pathological prognostic factors that influence local recurrence and survival in rectal cancer.

Ninety-eight patients undergoing total mesorectal excision for biopsy-proven rectal cancer were assessed prospectively using high-resolution MRI for tumour (T) and nodal (N) staging using the tumour node metastasis classification, depth of extramural tumour spread, the presence or absence of extramural venous invasion, a threatened circumferential resection margin and serosal involvement at or above the peritoneal reflection. Preoperative magnetic resonance assessment of these prognostic factors was compared with histopathological findings in carefully matched whole-mount sections of the resection specimen.