Rectal Cancer; MRI, Extramural Venous Invasion; Total Mesorectal Excision; Transrectal Ultrasonography

Background: Rectal cancer as a part of colorectal cancers is one of the most common human malginancies. The incidence of colorectal cancer rose dramatically following economic development and industrialization. The clinical manifestation is based on the anatomical localization of the rectum in the pelvis. Rectal bleeding, the discomfort in the sense of tenesm or pain, blood and mucusspotting on underwear or the changes in defecation habits are the most common symptoms.Methods: We searched from the PubMed, Google Scholar and Research gate database and looked for keywords rectal cancer, MRI,extramural venous invasion, total mesorecta excision, transrectal ultrasonography.Results: The diagnostic methods should be aimed at determining the extent of tumour involvement, eventual fixation of the tumouror its ingrowth into surrounding organs or structures, the distance of the tumour from the an cutaneous line, also like the potentialof metastatic spreading. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in rectal cancer was first investigated in 1999 and now is essential intreatment planning. MRI has a high accuracy in predicting circumferential resection margin involvement and is used to plan the treatment strategy.Conclusions: Radical surgical removal of the tumour is accompanied by other therapeutic modalities, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and, in cases of metastases, targeted biological therapy as well. All of these modalities are based on multi-disciplinarymeetings that selects the most appropriate treatment for patients with rectal cancer. In this review article, we will focus on the use ofmagnetic resonance imaging in the treatment of rectal cancer from a surgeon perspective