Differentiating rectal cancer grades using virtual magnetic resonance elastography and fractional order calculus...

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Oncologic Imaging
• Advanced MRI Techniques for Cancer Assessment

Background:

• Accurate grading of rectal cancer is crucial for treatment planning and prognosis.
• Existing imaging modalities have limitations in precisely differentiating tumor grades.
• Investigating novel MRI techniques like vMRE, FROC, and DWI is essential for improved diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic value of virtual magnetic resonance elastography (vMRE), fractional order calculus (FROC) model, and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in distinguishing rectal cancer grades.
• To compare the performance of these individual techniques and their multiparameter combinations for rectal cancer grading.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 74 rectal cancer patients undergoing pelvic MRI.
• Acquisition and analysis of vMRE (µ_MRE), FROC model (D, β, µ), and DWI (ADC) parameters.
• Statistical analysis including Mann-Whitney U test, independent samples t-test, logistic regression, ROC analysis, and Pearson's correlation.

Main Results:

• High-grade rectal cancers exhibited higher µ_MRE and µ values, and lower D, β, and ADC values compared to low-grade tumors (P < 0.05).
• The D value showed the highest diagnostic efficacy among individual parameters (AUC = 0.852).
• The FROC model (D+β+µ) achieved the highest diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.943), significantly outperforming DWI and vMRE (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

• FROC, vMRE, and DWI are valuable tools for assessing rectal cancer grades.
• The FROC model offers superior diagnostic performance for rectal cancer grading compared to DWI and vMRE.
• Multiparameter analysis, particularly using the FROC model, enhances diagnostic accuracy in rectal cancer grading.