Perfusion magnetic resonance imaging: current status in colorectal cancer

Researches had proved that perfusion MRI had great potential and value in the early diagnosis, treatment planning and improving five-year survival rate of the colorectal cancer patients. In the last few decades, perfusion MRI has been used widely in the diagnosis, staging, prediction and estimate of treatment response after preoperative chemoradiotherapy as well as follow-up of colorectal cancer patients because of its ability to evaluate the microcirculation of tumor non-invasively. In this review, we introduce the principles and current status of perfusion MRI in colorectal cancer and to give some suggestions for the future study and clinical practice. (authors)