The role of diffusion-weighted MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the prediction of pathologic complete response after radiochemotherapy for rectal cancer: A systematic review

The major strength of DWI and 18F-FDG PET/CT lies in the identification of non-responders who are not candidates for organ preservation. Up to now, DWI and 18F-FDG PET/CT are not accurate enough to safely select patients for organ-sparing strategies. Future research must focus on the integration of functional imaging with clinical data and molecular biomarkers.