Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 27, 2026

Ex Vivo Treatment Response of Primary Tumors and/or Associated Metastases for Preclinical and Clinical Development of Therapeutics
Published on: October 2, 2014
Rectal adenocarcinoma: Ex vivo 9.4T MRI-correlation with histopathologic treatment response to neoadjuvant
Zhihui Li1, Yuan Yuan2, Minglu Liu2
1Department of Radiology, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Objectives:
To determine the imaging details and diagnostic information of the treatment response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) of rectal adenocarcinoma at 9.4T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by ex vivo.
Methods:
Fifteen cases with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) followed by radical surgery after nCRT between September 2022 and February 2023 were recruited. Resected specimens were fixed in a perfluoropolyether-filled test tube and scanned with a 3.0T and 9.4T MRI system ex vivo. The residual tumor depth and MRI-based tumor regression grade (TRG) were subjectively assessed and then compared with the pathological findings.
Results:
The ex vivo 9.4T T2WI without fat suppression clearly differentiated tumor tissue, fibrosis and normal rectal wall, which clearly corresponded to the pathologic tissues of the rectal specimens. The TRG could be accurately assessed on ex vivo 9.4T images in 13/15 specimens (86.7%), while in 11/15 specimens (73.3%) on ex vivo 3.0T images.
Conclusion:
Ex vivo 9.4T MR imaging clearly displayed the components of rectal wall and proved excellent diagnostic performance for evaluating the treatment response to nCRT, which allow radiologists to understand and then assess more accurately the TRG of LARC after nCRT.
Related Concept Videos
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase

