Using ultrasound features and radiomics analysis to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer

BMC Surgery

Jiehua Li¹  Ye Wang¹  Junqiang Chen¹  Fu Li¹  Jinbo Peng²  Yuquan Wu²  Yun He²  Denghua Pan²  Hong Yang² 

[1] Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University;Department of Ultrasonography, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University;

关键词: Thyroid carcinoma;    Lymph node metastasis;    Ultrasound;    Radiomic analysis;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12893-020-00974-7

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is an important factor for thyroid cancer patients’ treatment and prognosis. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical value of ultrasound features and radiomics analysis in predicting LNM in thyroid cancer patients before surgery. Methods The characteristics of ultrasound images of 150 thyroid nodules were retrospectively analysed. All nodules were confirmed as thyroid cancer. Among the assessed patients, only one hundred and twenty-six patients underwent lymph node dissection. All patients underwent an ultrasound examination before surgery. In the radiomic analysis, the area of interest was identified from selected ultrasound images by using ITK-SNAP software. The radiomic features were extracted by using Ultrosomics software. Then, the data were classified into a training set and a validation set. Hypothetical tests and bagging were used to build the model. The diagnostic performance of different ultrasound features was assessed, a radiomic analysis was conducted, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to explore the diagnostic accuracy. Results Regarding the prediction of LNM, the ROC curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of an irregular shape and microcalcification were 0.591 (P = 0.059) and 0.629 (P = 0.007), respectively. In the radiomics analysis, in the training set, the AUC value of LNM was 0.759, with a sensitivity of 0.90 and a specificity of 0.860. In the verification set, the AUC was 0.803, with a sensitivity of 0.727 and a specificity of 0.800. Conclusions Microcalcification and an irregular shape are predictors of LNM in thyroid carcinoma patients. In addition, radiomics analysis has promising value in screening meaningful ultrasound features in thyroid cancer patients with LNM. Therefore, the prediction of LNM based on ultrasound features and radiomic features is useful for making appropriate decisions regarding surgery and interventions before thyroid carcinoma surgery.

【 授权许可】

Unknown