A comparative study of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and voxel-incoherent motion in evaluating microcirculation in rectal cancer

Motivation: For the preoperative assessment of rectal cancer microcirculation use DCE ang IVIM. Goal(s): To analyze the correlation between rectal cancer microvascular density, as indicated by CD34 immunohistochemistry, and quantitative parameters obtained from DCE and IVIM MRI. Approach: Assess the correlation between quantitative imaging parameters from DCE and IVIM, and microvascular density. Results: Significant differences in Ktrans and D values among different degrees of rectal cancer differentiation; furthermore, Ktrans, Kep, and D* values exhibited significant correlations with rectal cancer microvascular density, while Ve, D, and f did not show significant correlations. Impact: The validation of the utility of non-invasive MRI techniques, particularly DCE and IVIM, assesses rectal cancer microcirculation, which can enhance early diagnosis and treatment planning for patients, ultimately improving the prognosis and management of rectal cancer.