An MRI exam can identify residual disease and predict rectal patient outcomes, making it a useful resource to identify patients suitable for a watch-and-wait protocol, according to a study published Sept. 3 in Radiology.
Researchers from institutions across the U.S. evaluated data from the Organ Preservation in Rectal Adenocarcinoma trial of 277 rectal cancer patients from April 2014 to March 2020. Based on a post-treatment MRI, patients were classified as having clinical complete response, near-complete clinical response, or incomplete clinical response.
In a five-year follow up, the disease-free survival was 81.8% for participants with clinical complete response, 67.6% for participants with near-complete clinical response and 49.6% for patients with incomplete clinical response.
Findings suggest MRI response categories can be predictive of organ preservation and survival for watch-and-wait rectal cancer patients, according to the study.