Assessment of the inferior mesenteric vein diameter as a surrogate marker to evaluate response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma

We read with interest the paper by Ivan CV et al (1) assessing the relationship between inferior mesenteric vein diameter and evidence of extra-mural invasion (EMVI) in rectal cancer. Recent literature has focused on the identification of EMVI on the pre-treatment MRI due to its presence being a major determinant and an important prognostic independent factor for risk stratification of local and distant recurrence [2, 3]. The authors have based their hypothesis and the rationale for using inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) measurement on the emerging evidence that suggested that a correlation existed between splanchnic venous circulation, colorectal cancer and EMVI [3] This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved