Accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative staging of rectal tumors.
OBJECTIVE
Preoperative staging of rectal tumors is considered essential to tailor treatment for individual patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in preoperative staging of rectal tumors.


METHODS
Eleven hundred eighty-four patients with rectal adenocarcinoma or villous adenoma underwent endorectal ultrasonography evaluation at a single institution during a ten-year period. We compared the endorectal ultrasonography staging with the pathology findings based on the surgical specimens in 545 patients who had surgery (307 by transanal excision, 238 by radical proctectomy) without adjuvant preoperative chemoradiation. Comparisons between groups were performed using chi-squared tests and logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
Overall accuracy in assessing the level of rectal wall invasion was 69 percent, with 18 percent of the tumors overstaged and 13 percent understaged. Accuracy depended on the tumor stage and on the ultrasonographer. Overall accuracy in assessing nodal involvement in the 238 patients treated with radical surgery was 64 percent, with 25 percent overstaged and 11 percent understaged.


CONCLUSIONS
The accuracy of endorectal ultrasonography in assessing the depth of tumor invasion, particularly for early cancers, is lower than previously reported. The technique is more precise in distinguishing between benign tumors and invasive cancers and between tumors localized to the rectal wall and tumors with transmural invasion. Differences in image interpretation may in part explain discrepancies in accuracy between studies.
Garcia-Aguilar
Julio
J
Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota Cancer Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Pollack
Johan
J
Lee
Suk-Hwan
SH
Hernandez de Anda
Enrique
E
Mellgren
Anders
A
Wong
W Douglas
WD
Finne
Charles O
CO
Rothenberger
David A
DA
Madoff
Robert D
RD
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D018253:Adenoma, Villous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D019160:Endosonography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D012007:Rectum / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity