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PET/MRI Radiomics in Rectal Cancer: a Pilot Study on the Correlation Between PET- and MRI-Derived Image Features with a Clinical Interpretation

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to explore possible correlations among different imaging features from 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-Glucose positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) in rectal cancer (RC).

Procedures

RC patients who underwent PET/MRI were enrolled. A region of interest (ROI) was drawn around each primary RC on PET/MRI images (PET, pelvic axial T2w, and apparent diffusion coefficient maps (ADC)). Multiple imaging features were assessed, and Pearson’s correlation was used to explore possible correlations among them.

Results

A total of 13 patients were included, mean age 56.1 years old, 6 females. A strong inverse correlation was observed between SUVpeak and ADCmean values, MTV and T2 sphericity, MTV and ADC sphericity, MTV and T2 entropy, and TLG and ADC sphericity. There was also strong direct correlation between PET entropy and ADC sphericity.

Conclusions

In conclusion, several clinically relevant correlations were observed between PET and MRI imaging features. These findings show how the use of both modalities provides complementary information.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Barbara Juarez Amorim and Angel Torrado-Carvajal contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, White 270, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Barbara Juarez Amorim, Shadi A Esfahani, Mark Vangel & Onofrio A Catalano

  2. Athinoula A Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Barbara Juarez Amorim, Angel Torrado-Carvajal, Mark Vangel & Onofrio A Catalano

  3. Division of Nuclear Medicine, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil

    Barbara Juarez Amorim

  4. Medical Image Analysis and Biometry Laboratory, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain

    Angel Torrado-Carvajal

  5. Division of Nuclear Medicine, Puerta de Hierro, University Hospital, Madrid, Spain

    Sara S Marcos

  6. Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

    Mark Vangel

  7. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Assuta Medical Centers, Tel Aviv, and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Dan Stein & David Groshar

  8. Department of Radiology, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Naples, Italy

    Onofrio A Catalano

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  1. Barbara Juarez Amorim
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Correspondence to Onofrio A Catalano.

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Amorim, B.J., Torrado-Carvajal, A., Esfahani, S.A. et al. PET/MRI Radiomics in Rectal Cancer: a Pilot Study on the Correlation Between PET- and MRI-Derived Image Features with a Clinical Interpretation. Mol Imaging Biol 22, 1438–1445 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-020-01484-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11307-020-01484-x

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