The depth of transmural tumor invasion along the rectal wall layers and involvement of the regional lymph nodes constitute major factors in the prognosis of rectal cancer. Therefore accurate preoperative staging of rectal cancer carries a crucial importance in terms of therapy and prognosis. The utility of endorectal ultrasound and pelvic phased-array magnetic resonance imaging has been demonstrated well in the literature. However, studies comparing the diagnostic accuracies of these two techniques are rare.
A research article to be published on 14 June 2008, in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. Dr. Halefoglu from Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, compared the ability of endorectal ultrasound and pelvic phased-array magnetic resonance imaging for the preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma in a prospective study. 34 patients who had biopsy proven rectal adenocarcinoma were evaluated by both modalities. The imaging results were correlated with the histopathological gold standard evaluations of the surgical specimens.
Phased-array magnetic resonance imaging was found to be slightly superior to endorectal ultrasound in determining the depth of transmural invasion and both techniques have shown similar values in detecting lymph node metastases. Although each technique has been demonstrated as very useful in the preoperative staging of rectal cancer, they can also be used as complementary methods in the accurate staging of rectal cancer.
Both medical professionals and patients are often faced with the dilemma of which technique would be more beneficial in evaluating this increasingly common and at times fatal disease. Dr. Halefoglu resident specialist of Radiology in the Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey, who also completed his fellowship in the Johns Hopkins Hospital on Body MRI stated that this research could serve as a landmark in enlightening this dilemma.
Reference: Halefoglu AM, Yildirim S, Avlanmis O, Sakiz D, Baykan A. Endorectal ultrasonography versus phased-array magnetic resonance imaging for preoperative staging of rectal cancer.
World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(22): 3504-3510
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/14/3504.asp
Correspondence to: Ahmet Mesrur Halefoglu, Department of Radiology, Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Birlik sok. Parksaray ap. No:17/4, Sisli 34360, Istanbul, Turkey.
halefoglu@ hotmail.com
Telephone: +90-212-2795643 Fax: +90-212-2415015
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World Journal of Gastroenterology (WJG), a leading international journal in gastroenterology and hepatology, has established a reputation for publishing first class research on esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, viral hepatitis, colorectal cancer, and H pylori infection. It provides a forum for both clinicians and scientists. WJG has been indexed and abstracted in Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch) and Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, Index Medicus, MEDLINE and PubMed, Chemical Abstracts, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Abstracts Journals, Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology and Hepatology, CAB Abstracts and Global Health. ISI JCR 2003-2000 IF: 3.318, 2.532, 1.445 and 0.993. WJG is a weekly journal published by WJG Press. The publication dates are the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of every month. The WJG is supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30224801 and No. 30424812, and was founded with the title China National Journal of New Gastroenterology on October 1, 1995, and renamed WJG on January 25, 1998.
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