MRI Reveals Long-Term Prognosis Predictors for Colorectal Liver Metastasis

Features picked up by MRI can help predict outcomes for some patients with colorectal liver metastasis, and, potentially, help direct treatment plans, new research has revealed.
MRI studies enhanced with gadoxetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA) is already considered superior to CT when it comes to detecting colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) smaller than 10 mm, but in a study published on Oct. 6 in Radiology, a team of investigators from the University of Tokyo shared several identified radiologic features that can predict long-term prognosis.
“Bile duct dilatation peripheral to a colorectal liver metastasis indicated poor long-term prognosis in patients who had undergone curative surgical resection without neoadjuvant chemotherapy,” said the team led by Yudai Nakai, M.D., Ph.D., from the department of radiology at the University of Tokyo. “A combination of early enhancement, reduced gadoxetic acid uptake, and bile duct dilatation peripheral to the tumor was predictive of poor overall survival.”