The Use of Radiomic Tools in Renal Mass Characterization

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Renal mass detection has increased, leading to more diagnoses of small renal masses, some of which are benign.
• Distinguishing benign from malignant small renal masses using conventional imaging (CT, MR) can be challenging.
• There is a growing need to avoid unnecessary surgeries for benign renal tumors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of radiomics in characterizing renal masses.
• To assess radiomics' potential in differentiating benign from malignant renal lesions.
• To review the current literature on radiomics for renal mass characterization.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of existing studies on radiomics in renal mass characterization was performed.
• The review focused on studies utilizing computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
• The assessment included radiomics' ability to differentiate tumor types and prognostic features.

Main Results:

• Radiomics tools have demonstrated good accuracy in characterizing renal mass lesions in several studies.
• Radiomics shows potential in distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors.
• The application of radiomics extends to differentiating renal cell carcinoma subtypes.

Conclusions:

• Radiomics is a promising tool for enhancing the characterization of renal masses.
• The quantitative parameters derived from radiomics can improve diagnostic accuracy.
• Further prospective studies with external validation are necessary due to heterogeneity in radiomic model development.