[Radiomics models based on non-enhanced MRI can differentiate chondrosarcoma from enchondroma]

To develop and validate radiomics models based on non-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for differentiating chondrosarcoma from enchondroma.

We retrospectively evaluated a total of 68 patients (including 27 with chondrosarcoma and 41 with enchondroma), who were randomly divided into training group (n=46) and validation group (n=22). Radiomics features were extracted from T₁WI and T₂WI-FS sequences of the whole tumor by two radiologists independently and selected by Low Variance, Univariate feature selection, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Radiomics models were constructed by multivariate logistic regression analysis based on the features from T₁WI and T₂WI-FS sequences. The receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analyses of the radiomics models and conventional MR imaging were performed to determine their diagnostic accuracy.

The ICC value for interreader agreement of the radiomics features ranged from 0.779 to 0.923, which indicated good agreement. Ten and 11 features were selected from the T₁WI and T₂WI-FS sequences to construct radiomics models, respectively. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of T₁WI and T₂WI-FS models were 0.990 and 0.925 in training group and 0.915 and 0.855 in the validation group, respectively, showing no significant differences between the two sequence-based models (P>0.05). In all the cases, the AUCs of the two radiomics models based on T₁WI and T₂WI-FS sequences and conventional MR imaging were 0.955, 0.901 and 0.569, respectively, demonstrating a significantly higher diagnostic accuracy of the two sequence-based radiomics models than conventional MR imaging (P<0.01).

The radiomics models based on T₁WI and T₂WI-FS non-enhanced MR imaging can be used for the differentiation of chondrosarcoma from enchondroma.