Whether the use of intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound can improve the accuracy of T stage diagnosis of gastric cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether the use of intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can improve the diagnostic accuracy of T stage of gastric cancer on the basis of oral contrast-enhanced ultrasound (OCEUS). METHODS: Eighty-one patients with gastric cancer who underwent preoperative CEUS. Criteria for T staging was AJCC Stage 8th Edition. To compare the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of OCEUS and CEUS for T staging of gastric cancer using pathological results as the gold standard. RESULTS: There were differences in the diagnostic accuracy of T2 (P = 0.048), T3(P = 0.002) and T4 (P = 0.000) between OCEUS and CEUS. And there was no difference in diagnostic accuracy for T1 (P = 0.118). CEUS significantly improved diagnostic sensitivity and specificity in T3 (42.86% to 61.90% for sensitivity, 86.96% to 93.75% for specificity), and T4 (64.71% to 76.47% for sensitivity, 78.33% to 95.74% for specificity). CONCLUSION: Compared with OCEUS, CEUS did improve the diagnostic accuracy of T2, T3, and T4 stages of gastric cancer.