Intratumoural and peritumoural CT-based radiomics for diagnosing lepidic-predominant adenocarcinoma in patients with pure ground-glass nodules: a machine learning approach

Quantification of Intratumoral Heterogeneity: Distinguishing Histological Subtypes in Clinical T1 Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Pure Ground-Glass Nodules on Computed Tomography

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To quantify intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) in clinical T1 stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pure ground-glass nodules (pGGN) on computed tomography, assessing its value in distinguishing histological subtypes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An ITH score was developed for quantitative measurement by integrating local radiomics features and global pixel distribution patterns. Diagnostic efficacy in distinguishing histological subtypes was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) values. The ITH score's performance was compared to those of conventional radiomics (C-radiomics), and radiological assessments conducted by experienced radiologists.

RESULTS

The ITH score demonstrated excellent performance in distinguishing lepidic-predominant adenocarcinoma (LPA) from other histological subtypes of clinical T1 stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pGGN. It outperformed both C-radiomics and radiological findings, exhibiting higher AUCs of 0.784 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.742-0.826) and 0.801 (95% CI: 0.739-0.863) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The AUCs of C-radiomics were 0.764 (95% CI: 0.718-0.810, DeLong test, p = 0.025) and 0.760 (95% CI: 0.692-0.829, p = 0.023) and those of radiological findings were 0.722 (95% CI: 0.673-0.771, p = 0.003) and 0.754 (95% CI: 0.684-0.823, p = 0.016) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed varying diagnostic efficacy across clinical T1 stages, with the highest efficacy in the T1a stage, followed by the T1b stage, and lowest in the T1c stage.

CONCLUSION

The ITH score presents a superior method for evaluating histological subtypes and distinguishing LPA from other subtypes in clinical T1 stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pGGN.

Prediction of the benign and malignant nature of masses in COPD background based on Habitat-based enhanced CT radiomics modeling: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND

It is difficult to differentiate between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-peripheral bronchogenic carcinoma (COPD-PBC) and inflammatory masses.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to predict COPD-PBC based on clinical data and preoperative Habitat-based enhanced CT radiomics (HECT radiomics) modeling.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical imaging data of 232 cases of postoperative pathological confirmed PBC or inflammatory masses. The PBC group consisted of 82 cases, while the non-PBC group consisted of 150 cases. A training set and a testing set were established using a 7:3 ratio and a time cutoff point. In the training set, multiple models were established using clinical data and radiomics texture changes within different enhanced areas of the CT mass (HECT radiomics). The AUC values of each model were compared using Delong's test, and the clinical net benefit of the models was tested using decision curve analysis (DCA). The models were then externally validated in the testing set, and a nomogram of predicting COPD-PBC was created.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis confirmed that female gender, tumor morphology, CEA, Cyfra21-1, CT enhancement pattern, and Habitat-Radscore B/C were predictive factors for COPD-PBC (P< 0.05). The combination model based on these factors had significantly higher predictive performance [AUC: 0.894, 95% CI (0.836-0.936)] than the clinical data model [AUC: 0.758, 95% CI (0.685-0.822)] and radiomics model [AUC: 0.828, 95% CI (0.761-0.882)]. DCA also confirmed the higher clinical net benefit of the combination model, which was validated in the testing set. The nomogram developed based on the combination model helped predict COPD-PBC.

CONCLUSION

The combination model based on clinical data and Habitat-based enhanced CT radiomics can help differentiate COPD-PBC, providing a new non-invasive and efficient method for its diagnosis, treatment, and clinical decision-making.

Intra- and Peritumoral-Based Radiomics for Preoperatively Assessing the Pathological Subtype of T1-Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma Presenting as Pure Ground-Glass Nodules

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT radiomic features extracted from tumor and peritumoral regions in identifying pathological subtypes of T1-stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of T1-stage lung adenocarcinoma patients who underwent surgical resection and whose preoperative CT scans revealed pGGNs from June 2020 to June 2023 in our hospital. 3D Slicer was used to extract radiomic features of the intratumoral (VOI entire) and peritumoral regions (VOI +2 mm), and Rad-scores were calculated from the coefficients of features obtained after dimensionality reduction with LASSO regression. Results: A total of 131 patients with T1-stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pGGNs were included in this study; of these, 84 were pathologically diagnosed with the lepidic-predominant (LPA) subtype, and 47 were diagnosed with non-LPA. The diagnostic performance of the VOI entire and VOI +2 mm features for the pathological subtype of pGGN was superior to that of conventional features, with the VOI +2 mm features showing the best performance: the area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in the training set were 0.883, 0.964, 0.667, and 0.761, respectively. Conclusion: Intra- and especially peritumoral-based radiomic features have high diagnostic performance for the pathological subtype of T1-stage lung adenocarcinoma presenting as pGGNs.