Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 7, 2013; 19(21): 3263-3271
Published online Jun 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i21.3263
Stage and size using magnetic resonance imaging and endosonography in neoadjuvantly-treated rectal cancer
Torbjörn Swartling, Peter Kälebo, Kristoffer Derwinger, Bengt Gustavsson, Göran Kurlberg
Torbjörn Swartling, Kristoffer Derwinger, Bengt Gustavsson, Göran Kurlberg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, 41685 Gothenburg, Sweden
Peter Kälebo, Sahlgrenska Academy, Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, 41685 Gothenburg, Sweden
Author contributions: Swartling T and Kurlberg G performed the examinations and analyses by endorectal ultrasound; Kälebo P was responsible for the investigations and analyses by magnetic resonance imaging; Swartling T wrote most of the paper; Kälebo P wrote the parts concerning magnetic resonance imaging; Gustavsson B and Kurlberg G designed the study; Derwinger K and Kurlberg G helped prepare the manuscript.
Supported by The Gothenburg Medical Association, the Lions Cancerfond Väst and the Björnsson Foundation
Correspondence to: Torbjörn Swartling, MD, Sahlgrenska Academy, Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra, 41685 Göteborg, Sweden. torbjorn.swartling@blixtmail.se
Telephone: +46-31-3434000 Fax: +46-31-251463
Received: December 3, 2012
Revised: April 12, 2013
Accepted: April 28, 2013
Published online: June 7, 2013
Processing time: 182 Days and 17.7 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: To the best of our knowledge, the possibility of increasing the accuracy of the staging of rectal cancer by combining the strengths of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and endosonography (ERUS) in the same patient has not been reported. In neoadjuvantly treated rectal cancer, a combination of lymph node assessment by MRI and assessment of perirectal tissue penetration by ERUS improved the staging accuracy, with stage II as the cut-off. Furthermore, this study showed that ERUS could replace MRI in the measurement of the transaxial area of all non-stenotic tumours and in the measurement of the length of non-stenotic tumours up to 50 mm.