Multiparametric MRI subregion radiomics for preoperative assessment of high-risk subregions in microsatellite instability of rectal cancer patients: A multicenter study

Zhiping Cai; Zhenyu Xu; Yifan Chen; Rong Zhang; Baoliang Guo; Haixiong Chen; Fusheng Ouyang; Xinjie Chen; Xiaobo Chen; Dechao Liu; Chun Luo; Xiaohong Li; Wei Liu; Cuiru Zhou; Xinqun Guan; Ziwei Liu; Hai Zhao; Qiugen Hu

doi:10.1097/JS9.0000000000001335

Multiparametric MRI subregion radiomics for preoperative assessment of high-risk subregions in microsatellite instability of rectal cancer patients: A multicenter study

Int J Surg. 2024 Mar 18. doi: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000001335. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Zhiping Cai¹, Zhenyu Xu², Yifan Chen¹, Rong Zhang¹, Baoliang Guo¹, Haixiong Chen¹, Fusheng Ouyang¹, Xinjie Chen¹, Xiaobo Chen^{3

4}, Dechao Liu¹, Chun Luo², Xiaohong Li¹, Wei Liu¹, Cuiru Zhou¹, Xinqun Guan¹, Ziwei Liu¹, Hai Zhao², Qiugen Hu¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University (The First People's Hospital of Shunde), No. 1 Jiazi Road, Foshan, 528308, China.
² Department of Radiology, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, No. 81 North Lingnan Avenue, Foshan, 528010, China.
³ Department of Radiology, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Image Analysis and Application, Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 38498392
DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000001335

Abstract

Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) is associated with treatment response and prognosis in patients with rectal cancer (RC). However, intratumoral heterogeneity limits MSI testing in patients with RC. We developed a subregion radiomics model based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to preoperatively assess high-risk subregions with MSI and predict the MSI status of patients with RC.

Methods: This retrospective study included 475 patients (training cohort, 382; external test cohort, 93) with RC from two participating hospitals between April 2017 and June 2023. In the training cohort, subregion radiomic features were extracted from multiparametric MRI, which included T2-weighted, T1-weighted, diffusion-weighted, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging. MSI-related subregion radiomic features, classical radiomic features, and clinicoradiological variables were gathered to build five predictive models using logistic regression. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted to explore the prognostic information.

Results: Among the 475 patients (median age, 64 years [interquartile range, IQR: 55-70 years];304 men and 171 women), the prevalence of MSI was 11.16% (53/475). The subregion radiomics model outperformed the classical radiomics and clinicoradiological models in both training (area under the curve [AUC]=0.86, 0.72, and 0.59, respectively) and external test cohorts (AUC=0.83, 0.73, and 0.62, respectively). The subregion-clinicoradiological model combining clinicoradiological variables and subregion radiomic features performed the optimal, with AUCs of 0.87 and 0.85 in the training and external test cohorts, respectively. The 3-year disease-free survival rate of MSI groups predicted based on the model was higher than that of the predicted microsatellite stability (MSS) groups in both patient cohorts (training, P=0.032; external test, P=0.046).

Conclusions: We developed and validated a model based on subregion radiomic features of multiparametric MRI to evaluate high-risk subregions with MSI and predict the MSI status of RC preoperatively, which may assist in individualized treatment decisions and positioning for biopsy.