High MRI-EMVI scores may help in predicting disease relapse.

Detailed preoperative staging using high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enables the selection of patients that require preoperative therapy for tumour regression. This information can be used to instigate neoadjuvant therapy in those patients with poor prognostic features prior to disturbing the tumour bed and potentially disseminating disease. The design of trials incorporating MR assessment of prognostic factors prior to therapy has been found to be of value in assessing treatment modalities and outcomes that are targeted to these preoperative prognostic subgroups and in providing a quantifiable assessment of the efficacy of particular chemoradiation treatment protocols by comparing pre-treatment MR staging with post therapy histology assessment. At present, we are focused on achieving clear surgical margins of excision (CRM) to avoid local recurrence. We recommend that all patients with rectal cancer should undergo pre-operative MRI staging. Of these, about half will have good prognosis features (T1-T3b, N0, EMVI negative, CRM clear) and may safely undergo primary total mesorectal excision. Of the remainder, those with threatened or involved margins will certainly benefit from pre-operative chemoradiotherapy with the aim of downstaging to permit safe surgical excision. In the future, our ability to recognise features predicting distant failure, such as extramural vascular invasion (EMVI) may be used to stratify patients for neo-adjuvant systemic chemotherapy in an effort to prevent distant relapse. The optimal pre-operative treatment regimes for these patients (radiotherapy alone, systemic chemotherapy alone or combination chemo-radiotherapy) is the subject of current and future trials.

Colon cancer patients routinely undergo preoperative computed tomography (CT) scanning, but local staging is thought to be inaccurate. We aimed to determine if clinical outcome could be predicted from radiological features of the primary tumour. Consecutive patients at one hospital undergoing primary resection for colon cancer during 2000 -2004 were included. Patients with visible metastases were excluded. Preoperative CT scans were reviewed independently by two radiologists blinded to histological stage and outcome. Images of the primary tumour were evaluated according to conventional TNM criteria and patients were stratified into 'good' or 'poor' prognosis groups. Comparison was made between prognostic group and actual clinical outcome. Hundred and twenty-six preoperative CT scans were reviewed. T-stage and nodal status was correctly predicted in only 60 and 62%, respectively. However, inter-observer agreement for prognostic group was 79% (k ¼ 0.59) and 3-year relapse-free survival was 71 and 43% for the CT-predicted 'good' and 'poor' groups, respectively (Po0.0066). This compared favourably with 75 vs 43% for histology-predicted prognostic groups. Computed tomography is a robust method for stratifying patients preoperatively, with similar accuracy to histopathology for predicting outcome. Recognition of poor prognosis tumours preoperatively may permit investigation into the future use of neo-adjuvant therapy in colon cancer.

Objective MRI features that correlate with histopathologic findings can be identified and used to evaluate extramural vascular invasion on preoperative images. The MRI extramural vascular invasion score provides additional staging information, which is important when selective neoadjuvant therapy is being considered.