Adoption of enhanced multislice spiral computed tomography combined with magnetic resonance imaging in staging and preoperative assessment of colon cancer patients

BackgroundColon cancer (CC) refers to malignant tumor of the digestive tract worldwide and is also among the cancers with high mortality rates.ObjectiveThe aim of this work was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of multislice spiral CT (MSCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and MSCT + MRI in different stages of colon cancer (CC) (T1-T2, T3, T4). This work compared the differences in sensitivity (<i>Sen</i>), specificity (<i>Spe</i>), accuracy (Acc), and area under the curve (AUC) values among these methods and explored the optimal diagnostic strategy.MethodsA total of 120 patients with CC confirmed by pathological biopsy and 30 individuals suspected of CC but without detected tumors (as controls) were selected. All subjects underwent MSCT, MRI, and combined MSCT + MRI examinations. Statistical analyses of <i>Sen</i>, <i>Spe</i>, <i>Acc</i>, and AUC values were performed.ResultsIn the T1-T2 stage, MSCT had a <i>Sen</i> of 85.2%, <i>Acc</i> of 86.8%, and an AUC value of 0.878; MRI had a <i>Spe</i> of 91.0%, <i>Sen</i> of 81.6%, and an AUC value of 0.865; the combined MSCT + MRI examination had a <i>Sen</i> of 90.6% and an AUC of 0.903. In the T3 stage, MRI had a significantly higher <i>Sen</i> (91.7%) than MSCT (80.0%), with an AUC of 0.887, while the combined MSCT + MRI examination had a <i>Sen</i> of 98.3% and an AUC of 0.942. In the T4 stage, the combined MSCT + MRI examination performed the best, with a <i>Sen</i> of 100% and an AUC of 0.933, and compared with MSCT or MRI alone, the differences were statistically significant (<i>P </i>< 0.05).ConclusionMSCT and MRI each have their own advantages in the diagnosis of different stages of CC. MSCT is suitable for initial screening in the T1-T2 stage, while MRI is more effective in assessing tumor invasiveness in the T3 and higher stages. The combined MSCT + MRI examination can provide more comprehensive diagnostic information, especially in the T4 stage, where it shows the highest <i>Sen</i> and <i>Acc</i>. Selecting the appropriate examination method based on the patient's specific condition and staging needs is of great significance in improving the diagnostic <i>Acc</i> of CC.