The diagnostic value of CT-based radiomics nomogram for solitary indeterminate smoothly marginated solid pulmonary nodules.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the value of radiomics nomogram based on computed tomography (CT) on the diagnosis of benign and malignant solitary indeterminate smoothly marginated solid pulmonary nodules (SMSPNs).

METHODS

This study retrospectively reviewed 205 cases with solitary indeterminate SMSPNs on CT, including 112 cases of benign nodules and 93 cases of malignant nodules. They were divided into training (n=143) and validation (n=62) cohorts based on different CT scanners. Radiomics features of the nodules were extracted from the lung window CT images. The variance threshold method, SelectKBest, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were used to select the key radiomics features to construct the rad-score. Through multivariate logistic regression analysis, a nomogram was built by combining rad-score, clinical factors, and CT features. The nomogram performance was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS

A total of 19 radiomics features were selected to construct the rad-score, and the nomogram was constructed by the rad-score, one clinical factor (history of malignant tumor), and three CT features (including calcification, pleural retraction, and lobulation). The nomogram performed better than the radiomics model, clinical model, and experienced radiologists who specialized in thoracic radiology for nodule diagnosis. The AUC values of the nomogram were 0.942 in the training cohort and 0.933 in the validation cohort. The calibration curve and decision curve showed that the nomogram demonstrated good consistency and clinical applicability.

CONCLUSION

The CT-based radiomics nomogram achieved high efficiency in the preoperative diagnosis of solitary indeterminate SMSPNs, and it is of great significance in guiding clinical decision-making.