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The research progress of MRI in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer
YANG Airu  CAO Yuntai  HOU Yuyin  ZHOU Boqi 

Cite this article as: YANG A R, CAO Y T, HOU Y Y, et al. The research progress of MRI in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(2): 204-209, 214. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.02.033.


[Abstract] Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME) has become a globally recognized treatment strategy for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Postoperative pathological examination is the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy of nCRT, but it is invasive and has a certain lag, and cannot be routinely used for preoperative clinical diagnosis. As a non-invasive method for evaluating the efficacy of nCRT, imaging can achieve early and dynamic assessment of the efficacy of nCRT in LARC patients. Among them, MRI is the preferred imaging examination for evaluating the efficacy of nCRT in LARC patients. Therefore, using MRI-related techniques to non-invasively predict the efficacy of nCRT in LARC patients before surgery has important clinical value and can help provide individualized treatment plans for patients and avoid overtreatment. This article aims to systematically review the research progress of conventional MRI, functional MRI, MRI radiomics, and deep learning and other MRI imaging techniques in evaluating the efficacy of nCRT in LARC patients, and to prospect the future development trends.
[Keywords] rectal cancer；neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy；tumor regression grade；magnetic resonance imaging；radiomics；deep learning

YANG Airu   CAO Yuntai*   HOU Yuyin   ZHOU Boqi  

Image Center of Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University, Xining 810001, China

Corresponding author: CAO Y T, E-mail: caoyt18@lzu.edu.cn

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2024-11-28
Accepted  2025-02-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.02.033
Cite this article as: YANG A R, CAO Y T, HOU Y Y, et al. The research progress of MRI in predicting the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(2): 204-209, 214. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.02.033.

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