Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men, and it is second most common in women worldwide. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is free of ionizing radiation and imparts highest soft tissue contrast; therefore, it can provide the best assessment of evaluation of local spread. The available data show that only a few studies have been done describing the role of high-resolution MRI (HRMRI) in staging of rectal cancer in Indian population.

Objectives: The present study attempts to find the correlation and level of agreement between HRMRI and Surgico-pathological findings in rectal carcinoma patients.

Materials and Methods: This hospital-based prospective study was conducted on patients diagnosed with rectal cancer. MR study for pre-operative evaluation was done on 97 patients. 60 operated cases who gave the consent were included in the final study. Findings from MR study were compared with surgical and histopathological findings.

Results: Result showed that mean tumor size was 7.43 ± 3.12, 6.88 ± 3.04, and 5.67 ± 2.50 by MRI, surgical, and histological methods (P < 0.001). Overall agreement between MRI and operative finding and histopathological finding was 0.95 and 0.75 respectively (P < 0.001), showing good absolute agreement between the methods.

Conclusions: There was good agreement between the MR, surgical, and histopathological findings for local staging and pre-operative planning of rectal carcinoma.

Key words: High-resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Surgical and Histopathological findings; Rectal Carcinoma; Local Staging