title: MRI after treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer: how to report tumor response--the MERCURY experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Rectal Cancer European Equivalence (MERCURY) Study validated the use of MRI for posttreatment staging and its correlation with survival outcomes. As a consequence, reassessment of MRI scans after preoperative therapy has implications for surgical planning, the timing of surgery, sphincter preservation, deferral of surgery for good responders, and development of further preoperative treatments for radiologically identified poor responders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this article we report a validated systematic approach to the interpretation of MR images of patients with rectal cancer after chemoradiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Royal Marsden Hospital, Downs Rd, Sutton SM2 5PT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Uday B
authors.initials: UB
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Lennart K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bees
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D003287:Contrast Media; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media