Research Suggests MRI Can Help Determine Whether Rectal Cancer Patients Need Invasive Surgery

New research indicates that “magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can spare many patients with rectal cancer from invasive surgery that can carry lifelong side effects.”

These findings suggest that “MRI can predict patient outcomes and the risk of the tumor recurring or spreading for patients who have undergone chemotherapy and radiation.”

Colorectal cancer is on the rise in young adults “even as it has been decreasing among older people.” The American Cancer Society estimates that “the disease will strike approximately 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women.”

Rectal cancer is “typically treated at first with radiation and chemotherapy, but some patients require what is known as ‘total mesorectal excision’ – the removal of a substantial portion of their bowel. This can be lifesaving but it can also be life-changing: Side effects can include the need for a permanent colostomy bag and sexual dysfunction.”

Researchers analyzed the results of an Organ Preservation in Rectal Adenocarcinoma (OPRA) trial “to see how MRI results aligned with patient outcomes. In total, they reviewed outcomes from 277 patients, with an average age of 58, who had the stage of their rectal cancer determined by MRI. The average length of the follow-up period was slightly more than 4 years.” They determined that “MRI was an effective tool for predicting the patients’ overall survival, the risk of their cancer returning and their chances for keeping their bowel intact.”

MRI can be made more effective as a predictor by “combining it with data from endoscopies (visual inspections) after treatment.”