The role of EUS and MRI in rectal cancer staging.

Rectal cancer continues to be one of the most common tumors worldwide. Its prognosis mainly depends on early diagnosis and precise stage evaluation in order to choose the most effective treatment. In recent years, new and promising technologies have been proposed and are now available in daily practice. Each rectal cancer patient should be considered individually, choosing the diagnostic pretreatment exams that are appropriate for that single clinical case mainly related to the tumor and the available instruments. Clinicians must be informed about the efficacy of these technologies and be aware of any cause of mistake in tumor staging in order to reduce the risk of both improper use and inaccurate staging.