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Chen C, Jiang Y, Yao J, Lai M, Liu Y, Jiang X, Ou D, Feng B, Zhou L, Xu J, Wu L, Zhou Y, Yue W, Dong F, Xu D. Deep learning to assist composition classification and thyroid solid nodule diagnosis: a multicenter diagnostic study. Eur Radiol 2024; 34:2323-2333. [PMID: 37819276 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-023-10269-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study aimed to propose a deep learning (DL)-based framework for identifying the composition of thyroid nodules and assessing their malignancy risk. METHODS We conducted a retrospective multicenter study using ultrasound images from four hospitals. Convolutional neural network (CNN) models were constructed to classify ultrasound images of thyroid nodules into solid and non-solid, as well as benign and malignant. A total of 11,201 images of 6784 nodules were used for training, validation, and testing. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) was employed as the primary evaluation index. RESULTS The models had AUCs higher than 0.91 in the benign and malignant grading of solid thyroid nodules, with the Inception-ResNet AUC being the highest at 0.94. In the test set, the best algorithm for identifying benign and malignant thyroid nodules had a sensitivity of 0.88, and a specificity of 0.86. In the human vs. DL test set, the best algorithm had a sensitivity of 0.93, and a specificity of 0.86. The Inception-ResNet model performed better than the senior physicians (p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the optimal model based on the external test set were 0.90 and 0.75, respectively. CONCLUSIONS This research demonstrates that CNNs can assist thyroid nodule diagnosis and reduce the rate of unnecessary fine-needle aspiration (FNA). CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT High-resolution ultrasound has led to increased detection of thyroid nodules. This results in unnecessary fine-needle aspiration and anxiety for patients whose nodules are benign. Deep learning can solve these problems to some extent. KEY POINTS • Thyroid solid nodules have a high probability of malignancy. • Our models can improve the differentiation between benign and malignant solid thyroid nodules. • The differential performance of one model was superior to that of senior radiologists. Applying this could reduce the rate of unnecessary fine-needle aspiration of solid thyroid nodules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Yitao Jiang
- Illuminate, LLC, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518000, China
| | - Jincao Yao
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Head & Neck Cancer, Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Min Lai
- The Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310053, China
| | - Yuanzhen Liu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Xianping Jiang
- Department of Ultrasound, Shengzhou People's Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University Shengzhou Branch), Shengzhou, 312400, China
| | - Di Ou
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Head & Neck Cancer, Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Bojian Feng
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Lingyan Zhou
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Head & Neck Cancer, Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Jinfeng Xu
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Linghu Wu
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Yuli Zhou
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518020, China
| | - Wenwen Yue
- Center of Minimally Invasive Treatment for Tumor, Department of Medical Ultrasound, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200072, China.
| | - Fajin Dong
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Clinical Medical College, Jinan University, The First Affiliated Hospital, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen, 518020, China.
| | - Dong Xu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China.
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China.
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Chen C, Liu Y, Yao J, Wang K, Zhang M, Shi F, Tian Y, Gao L, Ying Y, Pan Q, Wang H, Wu J, Qi X, Wang Y, Xu D. Deep learning approaches for differentiating thyroid nodules with calcification: a two-center study. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:1139. [PMID: 37996814 PMCID: PMC10668439 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11456-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Calcification is a common phenomenon in both benign and malignant thyroid nodules. However, the clinical significance of calcification remains unclear. Therefore, we explored a more objective method for distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid calcified nodules. METHODS This retrospective study, conducted at two centers, involved a total of 631 thyroid nodules, all of which were pathologically confirmed. Ultrasound image sets were employed for analysis. The primary evaluation index was the area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUROC). We compared the diagnostic performance of deep learning (DL) methods with that of radiologists and determined whether DL could enhance the diagnostic capabilities of radiologists. RESULTS The Xception classification model exhibited the highest performance, achieving an AUROC of up to 0.970, followed by the DenseNet169 model, which attained an AUROC of up to 0.959. Notably, both DL models outperformed radiologists (P < 0.05). The success of the Xception model can be attributed to its incorporation of deep separable convolution, which effectively reduces the model's parameter count. This feature enables the model to capture features more effectively during the feature extraction process, resulting in superior performance, particularly when dealing with limited data. CONCLUSIONS This study conclusively demonstrated that DL outperformed radiologists in differentiating between benign and malignant calcified thyroid nodules. Additionally, the diagnostic capabilities of radiologists could be enhanced with the aid of DL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Yuanzhen Liu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Jincao Yao
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Cancer Intelligent Diagnosis and Molecular Technology, Hangzhou, 310022, China
- Key Laboratory of Head & Neck Cancer Translational Research of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310022, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, 317502, China
| | - Maoliang Zhang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Affiliated Dongyang Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Dongyang, 317502, China
| | - Fang Shi
- Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center of National Health Commission, Beijing, 100098, China
| | - Yuan Tian
- Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center of National Health Commission, Beijing, 100098, China
| | - Lu Gao
- Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center of National Health Commission, Beijing, 100098, China
| | - Yajun Ying
- Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Qianmeng Pan
- Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Jinxin Wu
- Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China
| | - Xiaoqing Qi
- Department of Ultrasound, Hangzhou Ninth People's Hospital, Hangzhou, 311225, China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China.
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China.
| | - Dong Xu
- Department of Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging & Interventional Therapy, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310022, China.
- Wenling Big Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute in Medicine, Taizhou, 317502, China.
- Taizhou Key Laboratory of Minimally Invasive Interventional Therapy & Artificial Intelligence, Taizhou Campus of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Taizhou Cancer Hospital), Taizhou, 317502, China.
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