Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2026; 18(10): 120231
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.120231
Published online Oct 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.120231
Letter to the Editor: Imaging biomarkers in rectal cancer - are we ready for clinical implementation?
Melek Yakar, Department of Radiation Oncology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Eskisehir 26480, Türkiye
Author contributions: Yakar M designed and wrote the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: AI tools (specifically ChatGPT) were used solely for language refinement, formatting assistance, and revision support during manuscript preparation. No AI tool was involved in study interpretation, scientific decision-making, data generation, analysis, or formulation of conclusions. All AI-assisted content was carefully reviewed, revised, and approved by the author, who takes full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Melek Yakar, Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Odunpazarı, Eskisehir 26480, Türkiye. mcakcay@ogu.edu.tr
Received: February 24, 2026
Revised: June 1, 2026
Accepted: June 29, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 208 Days and 0.7 Hours
Revised: June 1, 2026
Accepted: June 29, 2026
Published online: October 15, 2026
Processing time: 208 Days and 0.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This article reviews a recent study examining the prognostic value of imaging parameters prior to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer. It highlights that sarcopenia is not an independent predictor of oncological outcomes, whereas radiological image-based parameters, such as tumor length, mesorectal fascia involvement, and nodal involvement, are significantly associated with oncological outcomes. These findings support the importance of pre-treatment imaging biomarkers in predicting oncological outcomes, and their clinical implications are discussed in the context of the current literature.