CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — The American Cancer Society reports that rectal cancer is increasing among younger adults, estimating that approximately 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women will be affected by the disease.
Recent research from UVA Health indicates that MRIs can spare many rectal cancer patients from invasive surgery, which often carries lifelong side effects, through a new “watch and wait” approach.
“The newer techniques, look more carefully at the lymph nodes, as well as the actual wall of the rectum where the tumor occurs using a technique called diffusion weighted Imaging…to show, no leftover disease, possible leftover disease, or definite leftover disease,” said Arun Krishnaraj, MD, MPH, Professor of Radiology and Medical Imaging at UVA…