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Noninvasive image texture analysis differentiates K-ras mutation from pan-wildtype NSCLC and is prognostic
Glen J Weiss1, Balaji Ganeshan2, Kenneth A Miles2
1Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Goodyear, Arizona, United States of America; The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 3, 2014
Summary
Quantitative CT texture analysis (QTA) can identify K-ras mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. Lower kurtosis and positive skewness on CT scans predict patient survival, aiding non-invasive tumor characterization.
Area of Science:
- Radiology and Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Cancer Genomics
Background:
- Non-invasive tumor characterization is crucial for treatment management.
- Quantitative CT texture analysis (QTA) assesses tumor heterogeneity.
- Tumor appearance on CT scans correlates with outcomes in various cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the potential of tumoral QTA in differentiating K-ras mutant from pan-wildtype NSCLC tumors.
- To assess the prognostic value of QTA using baseline non-contrast CT imaging.
- To explore QTA's ability to predict patient survival in early-stage NSCLC.
Main Methods:
- Tumor DNA from early-stage NSCLC patients was analyzed.
- Cases with K-ras mutations or pan-wildtype status for 26 genes were selected for QTA.
- QTA was applied to primary tumors; Mann Whitney test and recursive decision trees analyzed differentiation. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis assessed prognostic potential.
Main Results:
- Of 48 cases, 27 had K-ras mutations and 21 were pan-wildtype.
- Positive skewness and lower kurtosis were significantly associated with K-ras mutations.
- A decision tree achieved 89.6% accuracy in differentiation. Lower kurtosis predicted poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).
Conclusions:
- Lower kurtosis and positive skewness are significantly linked to K-ras mutations in NSCLC.
- Tumoral QTA, specifically kurtosis, serves as a prognostic marker for OS and DFS.
- Non-invasive QTA effectively differentiates K-ras mutant from pan-wildtype NSCLC and correlates with patient survival.
