Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Feb 27, 2025; 17(2): 101897
Published online Feb 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i2.101897
Predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging parameters combined with tumor markers for rectal cancer recurrence risk after surgery
Lei Wu, Jing-Jie Zhu, Xiao-Han Liang, He Tong, Yan Song
Lei Wu, He Tong, Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China
Jing-Jie Zhu, Department of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China
Xiao-Han Liang, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu 233000, Anhui Province, China
Yan Song, Department of Radiology, Jieshou City People’s Hospital, Fuyang 236500, Anhui Province, China
Yan Song, Department of Radiology, Jieshou Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical College, Fuyang 236500, Anhui Province, China
Co-first authors: Lei Wu and Jing-Jie Zhu.
Author contributions: Wu L drafted the manuscript; Zhu JJ participated in design and oversight of the study; Wu L and Zhu JJ contributed equally to this article, they are the co-first authors of this manuscript; Wu L and Liang XH assisted with data analysis; Zhu JJ and Liang XH participated in the data collection; Tong H participated in study design and performed statistical analysis; Song Y carried out selenium analyses; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College Institutional Review Board, approval No. [2024]KY047.
Informed consent statement: All study participants provided informed written consent before study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan Song, Associate Chief Physician, MD, Department of Radiology, Jieshou City People’s Hospital, No. 399 Renmin East Road, Fuyang 236500, Anhui Province, China. jssy7211@163.com
Received: November 7, 2024
Revised: December 12, 2024
Accepted: December 25, 2024
Published online: February 27, 2025
Processing time: 76 Days and 2.1 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

An increasing number of studies to date have found preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features valuable in predicting the prognosis of rectal cancer (RC). However, research is still lacking on the correlation between preoperative MRI features and the risk of recurrence after radical resection of RC, urgently necessitating further in-depth exploration.

AIM

To investigate the correlation between preoperative MRI parameters and the risk of recurrence after radical resection of RC to provide an effective tool for predicting postoperative recurrence.

METHODS

The data of 90 patients who were diagnosed with RC by surgical pathology and underwent radical surgical resection at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University between May 2020 and December 2023 were collected through retrospective analysis. General demographic data, MRI data, and tumor markers levels were collected. According to the reviewed data of patients six months after surgery, the clinicians comprehensively assessed the recurrence risk and divided the patients into high recurrence risk (37 cases) and low recurrence risk (53 cases) groups. Independent sample t-test and χ2 test were used to analyze differences between the two groups. A logistic regression model was used to explore the risk factors of the high recurrence risk group, and a clinical prediction model was constructed. The clinical prediction model is presented in the form of a nomogram. The receiver operating characteristic curve, Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the efficacy of the clinical prediction model.

RESULTS

The detection of positive extramural vascular invasion through preoperative MRI [odds ratio (OR) = 4.29, P = 0.045], along with elevated carcinoembryonic antigen (OR = 1.08, P = 0.041), carbohydrate antigen 125 (OR = 1.19, P = 0.034), and carbohydrate antigen 199 (OR = 1.27, P < 0.001) levels, are independent risk factors for increased postoperative recurrence risk in patients with RC. Furthermore, there was a correlation between magnetic resonance based T staging, magnetic resonance based N staging, and circumferential resection margin results determined by MRI and the postoperative recurrence risk. Additionally, when extramural vascular invasion was integrated with tumor markers, the resulting clinical prediction model more effectively identified patients at high risk for postoperative recurrence, thereby providing robust support for clinical decision-making.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicate that preoperative MRI detection is of great importance for predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence in patients with RC. Monitoring these markers helps clinicians identify patients at high risk, allowing for more aggressive treatment and monitoring strategies to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords: Rectal cancer; Magnetic resonance imaging; Recurrence; Prediction model; Tumor markers

Core Tip: Currently, a growing focus exists on the application of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with rectal cancer (RC). However, there remains a lack of sufficient research on the correlation between preoperative MRI features and the risk of recurrence after radical resection of RC, necessitating further in-depth exploration. In this study, a retrospective analysis was conducted on preoperative MRI data from 90 patients with RC, combined with their basic characteristics and tumor markers. The findings revealed that preoperative MRI is of great significance in predicting the risk of postoperative recurrence in patients with RC.