Applying PET/MR in Rectal Cancer.

The use of the novel recently introduced PET/MR scanner is believed to be promising in RC management, providing great anatomical details and detailed metabolic characterization. Preliminary data indicate it may become a strong imaging modality for staging of RC and has the potential to be used as a predictive tool guiding individualized therapy in patients receiving nT, but confirmation on prospective studies is mandatory. The use of radiomics as analysis approach may assist in achieving a better understanding of the obtained image data, and thus a more accurate disease assessment.

Objectives

1. To preliminary assess the potential diagnostic value of single PET/MR scan in RC staging and compare it to that of MRI alone, PET/CT alone, and combined MRI and PET/CT.
2. To preliminary assess the potential value of PET/MR in predicting pMR to nT.
3. To use radiomics analysis of PET/MR data to develop a quantification clinical tools that allow a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of RC patients.