[¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT versus pelvic MRI in preoperative diagnosis of lateral lymph node metastasis in rectal cancer: a meta-analysis

The study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT and pelvic MRI for preoperative detection of lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in rectal cancer. The meta-analysis of 23 studies found that while both imaging modalities had similar sensitivity, [¹⁸FDG PET/CT exhibited significantly higher specificity, suggesting it may be more effective in reducing false positives and preventing unnecessary surgical interventions. The authors recommend further prospective studies to refine clinical guidelines for these imaging techniques.