An interpretable machine learning model for predicting bone marrow invasion in patients with lymphoma via ¹⁸F-FDG...

Accurate identification of bone marrow invasion (BMI) is critical for determining the prognosis of and treatment strategies for lymphoma. Although bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is the current gold standard, its invasive nature and sampling errors highlight the necessity for noninvasive alternatives. We aimed to develop and validate an interpretable machine learning model that integrates clinical data, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT) parameters, radiomic features, and deep learning features to predict BMI in lymphoma patients.

We included 159 newly diagnosed lymphoma patients (118 from Center I and 41 from Center II), excluding those with prior treatments, incomplete data, or under 18 years of age. Data from Center I were randomly allocated to training (n = 94) and internal test (n = 24) sets; Center II served as an external validation set (n = 41). Clinical parameters, PET/CT features, radiomic characteristics, and deep learning features were comprehensively analyzed and integrated into machine learning models. Model interpretability was elucidated via Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAPs). Additionally, a comparative diagnostic study evaluated reader performance with and without model assistance.

BMI was confirmed in 70 (44%) patients. The key clinical predictors included B symptoms and platelet count. Among the tested models, the ExtraTrees classifier achieved the best performance. For external validation, the combined model (clinical + PET/CT + radiomics + deep learning) achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.886, outperforming models that use only clinical (AUC 0.798), radiomic (AUC 0.708), or deep learning features (AUC 0.662). SHAP analysis revealed that PET radiomic features (especially PET_lbp_3D_m1_glcm_DependenceEntropy), platelet count, and B symptoms were significant predictors of BMI. Model assistance significantly enhanced junior reader performance (AUC improved from 0.663 to 0.818, p = 0.03) and improved senior reader accuracy, although not significantly (AUC 0.768 to 0.867, p = 0.10).

Our interpretable machine learning model, which integrates clinical, imaging, radiomic, and deep learning features, demonstrated robust BMI prediction performance and notably enhanced physician diagnostic accuracy. These findings underscore the clinical potential of interpretable AI to complement medical expertise and potentially reduce the reliance on invasive BMB for lymphoma staging.