Locally Advanced Rectal Carcinoma Treated with Preoperative Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy: Preliminary Analysis of Diffusion-weighted MR Imaging for Early Detection of Tumor Histopathologic Downstaging

Abstract

Early increase of mean tumor ADC and low pretherapy mean ADC in rectal carcinoma correlate with good response to CRT. DW MR imaging is a promising noninvasive technique for helping predict and monitor early therapeutic response in patients with rectal carcinoma who are undergoing CRT.