Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42449681›Full record

ReviewCancers2026

Reimagining Nodal Staging in Colorectal Cancer: Toward a Novel Non-Invasive Imaging Approach.

Perla Moreno, Michela Orsi, Karl-Philippe Beaudet, Rania Benyahya, Leonardo Sosa-Valencia, Stéphane Cotin, Alfonso Lapergola, Alain García Vázquez

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Perla MorenoIHU, Institute of Image-Guided Surgery, 1 Pl. de l'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France.ORCID 0000-0003-4822-5578
Michela OrsiIHU, Institute of Image-Guided Surgery, 1 Pl. de l'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France.ORCID 0009-0003-0848-1929
Karl-Philippe BeaudetÉquipe MIMESIS, Inria, 2 Rue Marie Hamm, 67000 Strasbourg, France.ORCID 0009-0003-4417-546X
Rania BenyahyaMaïeutique et Sciences de la Santé, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Strasbourg, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
Leonardo Sosa-ValenciaIHU, Institute of Image-Guided Surgery, 1 Pl. de l'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France.ORCID 0000-0001-6594-4748
Stéphane CotinÉquipe MIMESIS, Inria, 2 Rue Marie Hamm, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
Alfonso LapergolaIHU, Institute of Image-Guided Surgery, 1 Pl. de l'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France.
Alain García VázquezIHU, Institute of Image-Guided Surgery, 1 Pl. de l'Hôpital, 67000 Strasbourg, France.ORCID 0000-0001-5859-2852

Funding

Bpifrance DOS0218429
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common malignancy worldwide and a leading cause of cancer mortality, largely driven by metastatic dissemination. Among metastatic routes, lymphatic spread is crucial to determine the prognosis and establish an adequate therapeutic strategy. Lymph node metastasis (LNM) defines stage III disease in the TNM classification, guiding adjuvant chemotherapy and surgical planning. However, nodal staging based on lymphadenectomy and histopathology is invasive, time-consuming, and may lead to overtreatment. Conventional imaging modalities, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and endorectal ultrasound, show limited sensitivity and specificity for small or micro-metastatic nodes. Despite multimodal progress, no non-invasive technique reliably identifies malignant nodes in real time. PET-MRI, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, photoacoustic and fluorescence approaches, ICG mapping, and sentinel node biopsy improve detection but remain limited by specificity, cost, or availability. Extranodal extension (ENE) and tumor deposits (TDs) carry major prognostic value, reflecting aggressive biology and association with distant spread. Meanwhile, phylogenetic studies challenge linear dissemination models, indicating that some metastases arise directly from the primary tumor or TDs rather than LNMs. These data support refinement of staging and surgical strategies according to tumor biology rather than purely anatomical criteria. High-frequency quantitative ultrasound (HF-QUS) enables real-time, operator-independent, three-dimensional nodal assessment with reported sensitivity and specificity exceeding 85%. Combined with artificial intelligence and molecular profiling, it may support biologically informed staging, reduce unnecessary surgery, and foster precision oncology. Lymphatic dissemination in CRC offers a platform to merge tumor biology with technological innovation, where advanced imaging, molecular insight, and artificial intelligence may redefine nodal staging toward precision, non-invasive care.

Indexed as

artificial intelligencecolorectal cancerhigh frequency ultrasoundlymph node metastasisnodal stagingtechnological innovationtumor biology

Identifiers

PMID42449681
PMCPMC13360444

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.