Radiomics in Pulmonary Lesion Imaging

Diagnostic imaging has traditionally relied on a limited set of qualitative imaging characteristics for the diagnosis and management of lung cancer. Radiomics-the extraction and analysis of quantitative features from imaging-can identify additional imaging characteristics that cannot be seen by the eye. These features can potentially be used to diagnose cancer, identify mutations, and predict prognosis in an accurate and noninvasive fashion. This article provides insights about trends in radiomics of lung cancer and challenges to widespread adoption.

Radiomic studies are currently limited to a small number of cancer types. Its application across various centers are nonstandardized, leading to difficulties in comparing and generalizing results. The tools available to apply radiomics are specialized and limited in scope, blunting widespread use and clinical integration in the general population. Increasing the number of multicenter studies and consortiums and inclusion of radiomics in resident training will bring more attention and clarity to the growing field of radiomics.