MRI versus colonoscopy for rectal cancer

We conducted a retrospective study over a six-year period, including 30 consecutive patients with lower or mid-rectal cancer detected following a colonoscopy and confirmed histologically. Thirty patients were included in our study. The sex ratio (M/F) was 2.3: 21 men (70%) and 9 women (30%). The mean age was 62.2 ± 14.2 years (range 32 to 85 years). The mean colonic distance from the inferior pole of the tumour to the anal margin was 4.6 ± 2.4 cm (range 1 to 9 cm). The same parameters were analysed using imaging, and the mean MRI distance from the inferior pole of the tumour to the anal margin was 4.1±2.5 cm, ranging from 0 to 10 cm. Intraoperative findings indicated a mean tumour distance from the anal margin of 4.1±2.5 cm. The agreement between MRI and surgical assessment results in estimating the distance of the tumour from the anal margin was 93.3%. There was a good correlation between MRI and surgery (no significant difference between the means of assessment, p=0.231).