A Hybrid Model-Based Clinicopathological Features and Radiomics Based on Conventional MRI for Predicting Lymph Node...

This study aimed to improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prediction of patient prognosis in cervical cancer patients using a hybrid model based on MRI and clinical aspects. We retrospectively analyzed routine MR data from 485 patients with pathologically confirmed cervical cancer from January 2014 to June 2021. The data were divided into a training cohort (N = 261), internal cohort (N = 113), and external validation cohort (n = 111). A total of 2194 features were extracted from each ROI from T2WI and CE-T1WI. The clinical model (M1) was built with clinicopathological features including squamous cell carcinoma antigen, MRI-reported LNM, maximal tumor diameter (MTD). The radiomics model (M2) was built with four radiomics features. The hybrid model (M3) was constructed with squamous cell carcinoma antigen, MRI-reported LNM, MTD which consists of M1 and four radiomics features which consist of M2. GBDT algorithms were used to create the scores of M1 (clinical-score, C-score), M2 (radiomic score, R-score), and M3 (hybrid-score, H-score). M3 showed good performance in the training cohort (AUCs, M3 vs. M1 vs. M2, 0.917 vs. 0.830 vs. 0.788), internal validation cohorts (AUCs, M3 vs. M1 vs. M2, 0.872 vs. 0.750 vs. 0.739), and external validation cohort (AUCs, M3 vs. M1 vs. M2, 0.907 vs. 0.811 vs. 0.785). In addition, higher scores were significantly associated with worse disease-free survival (DFS) in the training cohort and the internal validation cohort (C-score, P = 0.001; R-score, P = 0.002; H-score, P = 0.006). Radiomics models can accurately predict LNM status in patients with cervical cancer. The hybrid model, which incorporates clinical and radiomics features, is a novel way to enhance diagnostic performance and predict the prognosis of cervical cancer.