What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MR elastography and virtual MR elastography in assessing intratumoral fibrosis in rectal cancer.

February 12, 2026

Comparison of Virtual MR Elastography Based on Intravoxel Incoherent Motion With MR Elastography in the Assessment of Intratumoral Fibrosis in Rectal Cancer

Puntos clave

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of MR elastography and virtual MR elastography in assessing intratumoral fibrosis in rectal cancer.
Conducted a prospective cohort study with 71 participants diagnosed with rectal cancer.
Determined optimal b-values for VMRE through empirical relationships with MRE data.
Evaluated both MRE and VMRE for intratumoral fibrosis in surgically diagnosed participants using statistical analysis including ROC.
Subgroup validation performed with defined participant ratios.
Identified optimal b-values of 0 and 1500 s/mm2 for VMRE with significant correlations to MRE.
AUC for MRE indicators (c, φ) were 0.779 and 0.684, while AUC for VMRE (V c, V φ) were 0.792 and 0.784, indicating no significant difference in diagnostics.
Sensitivity for MRE ranged from 85.7% to 90.5%, while VMRE sensitivity was lower at 54.5% to 68.2%.

Resumen

ABSTRACT Background Intratumoral fibrosis influences treatment efficacy and prognosis of rectal cancer (RC). The roles of MR elastography (MRE) and Virtual MRE (VMRE) remain unclear in assessing it in RC. Purpose To evaluate MRE for assessing intratumoral fibrosis in RC, identify optimal b ‐values for VMRE, and compare their diagnostic performance. Study Type Prospective cohort. Population A total of 71 participants with pathologically confirmed RC (47 men; mean age, 62 ± 10 years). Field Strength/Sequences 3T, T2‐weighted turbo‐spin echo, contrast‐enhanced T1‐weighted gradient‐recalled echo, Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) ( b = 0, 100, 200, 1000, 1500 s/mm 2 ), and spin‐echo MRE. Assessment All participants were divided at a 7:3 ratio: subgroup 1 ( N = 49) determined the optimal b ‐value combination and established the empirical relationship between shifted apparent diffusion coefficient (sADC) and VMRE (V c , V φ ) based on IVIM, with MRE ( c , φ ) as reference; subgroup 2 ( N = 22) validated this relationship. MRE and VMRE evaluated intratumoral fibrosis in 43 surgically diagnosed participants. Statistical Tests Receiver operating characteristic (ROC), Pearson correlation, DeLong test. Bonferroni‐adjusted p 0.999). No significant differences in AUCs were observed among all parameters (Adjusted p : 0.384 to > 0.999). Sensitivity and specificity ranges of MRE and VMRE were 85.7%–90.5% and 54.5%–68.2%, respectively. Data Conclusions MRE was used to evaluate intratumoral fibrosis in RC. The optimal b ‐values combination for VMRE in RC was 0 s/mm 2 and 1500 s/mm 2 . No significant difference was observed for assessing intratumoral fibrosis between MRE and VMRE. Evidence Level 2. Technical Efficacy Stage 2.

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