PET-CT radiomics for immunotherapy response

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiomics is an emerging field.
• Predicting response to immunotherapy is crucial for cancer treatment.
• Current literature synthesis on PET radiomics for immunotherapy response prediction is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize current literature on PET radiomics for predicting immunotherapy response in cancer.
• To discuss challenges in data analysis for PET radiomics.
• To propose directions for clinical integration of PET radiomics.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published papers.
• Selection criteria included publication date (last 5 years) and patient cohort size (>100).
• Focus on studies using PET/CT for radiomics and immunotherapy.

Main Results:

• 24 papers were selected for review.
• 75% of studies focused on lung cancer, showing radiomics can predict PD-L1 expression and immunotherapy response.
• Radiomics also shows potential in lymphoma (CAR-T therapy), colon-rectal, and endometrial cancers, though evidence is limited.

Conclusions:

• PET radiomics has significant potential in characterizing the tumor immune microenvironment.
• Radiomics can predict immunotherapy response, especially in lung cancer and lymphoma.
• Further research is needed to overcome data analysis challenges and facilitate clinical integration.