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Chen J, Wu Z, Zhang Z, Chen Y, Yin M, Ehman RL, Yuan Y, Song B. Apparent diffusion coefficient and tissue stiffness are associated with different tumor microenvironment features of hepatocellular carcinoma. Eur Radiol 2024:10.1007/s00330-024-10743-2. [PMID: 38767658 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-024-10743-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate associations between tissue diffusion, stiffness, and different tumor microenvironment features in resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS Seventy-two patients were prospectively included for preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging and MR elastography examination. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and stiffness value were measured on the central three slices of the tumor and peri-tumor area. Cell density, tumor-stroma ratio (TSR), lymphocyte-rich HCC (LR-HCC), and CD8 + T cell infiltration were estimated in resected tumors. The interobserver agreement of MRI measurements and subjective pathological evaluation was assessed. Variables influencing ADC and stiffness were screened with univariate analyses, and then identified with multivariable linear regression. The potential relationship between explored imaging biomarkers and histopathological features was assessed with linear regression after adjustment for other influencing factors. RESULTS Seventy-two patients (male/female: 59/13, mean age: 56 ± 10.2 years) were included for analysis. Inter-reader agreement was good or excellent regarding MRI measurements and histopathological evaluation. No correlation between tumor ADC and tumor stiffness was found. Multivariable linear regression confirmed that cell density was the only factor associated with tumor ADC (Estimate = -0.03, p = 0.006), and tumor-stroma ratio was the only factor associated with tumor stiffness (Estimate = -0.18, p = 0.03). After adjustment for fibrosis stage (Estimate = 0.43, p < 0.001) and age (Estimate = 0.04, p < 0.001) in the multivariate linear regression, intra-tumoral CD8 + T cell infiltration remained a significant factor associated with peri-tumor stiffness (Estimate = 0.63, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Tumor ADC surpasses tumor stiffness as a biomarker of cellularity. Tumor stiffness is associated with tumor-stroma ratio and peri-tumor stiffness might be an imaging biomarker of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT Tissue stiffness could potentially serve as an imaging biomarker of the intra-tumoral immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma and aid in patient selection for immunotherapy. KEY POINTS Apparent diffusion coefficient reflects cellularity of hepatocellular carcinoma. Tumor stiffness reflects tumor-stroma ratio of hepatocellular carcinoma and is associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Tumor and peri-tumor stiffness might serve as imaging biomarkers of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Chen
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Department of Radiology, Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhenru Wu
- Laboratory of Pathology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 88 South Keyuan Road, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Department of Radiology, Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yidi Chen
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Department of Radiology, Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Meng Yin
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Richard L Ehman
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China.
- Department of Radiology, Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
| | - Bin Song
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu, 610041, China.
- Department of Radiology, Functional and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Haghshomar M, Rodrigues D, Kalyan A, Velichko Y, Borhani A. Leveraging radiomics and AI for precision diagnosis and prognostication of liver malignancies. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1362737. [PMID: 38779098 PMCID: PMC11109422 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1362737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Liver tumors, whether primary or metastatic, have emerged as a growing concern with substantial global health implications. Timely identification and characterization of liver tumors are pivotal factors in order to provide optimum treatment. Imaging is a crucial part of the detection of liver tumors; however, conventional imaging has shortcomings in the proper characterization of these tumors which leads to the need for tissue biopsy. Artificial intelligence (AI) and radiomics have recently emerged as investigational opportunities with the potential to enhance the detection and characterization of liver lesions. These advancements offer opportunities for better diagnostic accuracy, prognostication, and thereby improving patient care. In particular, these techniques have the potential to predict the histopathology, genotype, and immunophenotype of tumors based on imaging data, hence providing guidance for personalized treatment of such tumors. In this review, we outline the progression and potential of AI in the field of liver oncology imaging, specifically emphasizing manual radiomic techniques and deep learning-based representations. We discuss how these tools can aid in clinical decision-making challenges. These challenges encompass a broad range of tasks, from prognosticating patient outcomes, differentiating benign treatment-related factors and actual disease progression, recognizing uncommon response patterns, and even predicting the genetic and molecular characteristics of the tumors. Lastly, we discuss the pitfalls, technical limitations and future direction of these AI-based techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Amir Borhani
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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Zhou L, Chen Y, Li Y, Wu C, Xue C, Wang X. Diagnostic value of radiomics in predicting Ki-67 and cytokeratin 19 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Oncol 2024; 13:1323534. [PMID: 38234405 PMCID: PMC10792117 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1323534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Radiomics have been increasingly used in the clinical management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), such as markers prediction. Ki-67 and cytokeratin 19 (CK-19) are important prognostic markers of HCC. Radiomics has been introduced by many researchers in the prediction of these markers expression, but its diagnostic value remains controversial. Therefore, this review aims to assess the diagnostic value of radiomics in predicting Ki-67 and CK-19 expression in HCC. Methods Original studies were systematically searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to May 2023. All included studies were evaluated by the radiomics quality score. The C-index was used as the effect size of the performance of radiomics in predicting Ki-67and CK-19 expression, and the positive cutoff values of Ki-67 label index (LI) were determined by subgroup analysis and meta-regression. Results We identified 34 eligible studies for Ki-67 (18 studies) and CK-19 (16 studies). The most common radiomics source was magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; 25/34). The pooled C-index of MRI-based models in predicting Ki-67 was 0.89 (95% CI:0.86-0.92) in the training set, and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82-0.92) in the validation set. The pooled C-index of MRI-based models in predicting CK-19 was 0.86 (95% CI:0.81-0.90) in the training set, and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.73-0.84) in the validation set. Subgroup analysis suggested Ki-67 LI cutoff was a significant source of heterogeneity (I 2 = 0.0% P>0.05), and meta-regression showed that the C-index increased as Ki-67 LI increased. Conclusion Radiomics shows promising diagnostic value in predicting positive Ki-67 or CK-19 expression. But lacks standardized guidelines, which makes the model and variables selection dependent on researcher experience, leading to study heterogeneity. Therefore, standardized guidelines are warranted for future research. Systematic Review Registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42023427953.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhou
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yiheng Chen
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Yan Li
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (Zhong Jing) School, Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Chaoyong Wu
- Shenzhen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chongxiang Xue
- Graduate School, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xihong Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
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