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Staging and Evaluation of Rectal Cancer and Pelvic Malignancy

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Pelvic Cancer Surgery

Abstract

Imaging has become an integral part of staging for most cancers. Identifying prognostic risk factors for survival outcomes aids clinicians to offer the most suitable and appropriate treatments. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and endoanal ultrasound (EAUS) all play some role in the local and distant staging rectal cancer and pelvic malignancy. Such factors as tumor penetration, nodal disease, circumferential margin involvement, vascular invasion and tumor height as important determinants in the risk of disease recurrence. In the local staging of tumor spread, MRI is the most accurate imaging modality which can identify the important prognostic factors of circumferential resection margin involvement and mesorectal spread. CT remains the optimal modality in staging distant disease in the chest, abdomen and pelvis. However, as newer technology develops such as PET-CT, patients may be offered combinations of imaging techniques determined by their risk of disease recurrence.

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Correspondence to Manish Chand MBBS, BSc, MRCS .

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Chand, M., Wale, A., Brown, G. (2015). Staging and Evaluation of Rectal Cancer and Pelvic Malignancy. In: Patel, H., Mould, T., Joseph, J., Delaney, C. (eds) Pelvic Cancer Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4258-4_45

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4258-4_45

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