State-of-the-art in radiomics of hepatocellular carcinoma: a review of basic principles, applications, and limitations

• Published in: Abdominal imaging Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. 342 - 353
• Main Authors: Miranda Magalhaes Santos, Joao Manoel, Clemente Oliveira, Brunna, Araujo-Filho, Jose de Arimateia Batista, Assuncao-Jr, Antonildes N., de M. Machado, Felipe Augusto, Carlos Tavares Rocha, Camila, Horvat, Joao Vicente, Menezes, Marcos Roberto, Horvat, Natally
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - diagnostic imaging; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - pathology; Feature extraction; Gastroenterology; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatology; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Patients; Precision medicine; Radiology; Radiomics; Review; Survival; Magnetic resonance imaging; Computed tomography; Textural analysis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Positron emission tomography; Liver neoplasms; Radiomics
• ISSN: 2366-004X; 2366-0058; 2366-0058
• DOI: 10.1007/s00261-019-02299-3

Radiomics is a new field in medical imaging with the potential of changing medical practice. Radiomics is characterized by the extraction of several quantitative imaging features which are not visible to the naked eye from conventional imaging modalities, and its correlation with specific relevant clinical endpoints, such as pathology, therapeutic response, and survival. Several studies have evaluated the use of radiomics in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with encouraging results, particularly in the pretreatment prediction of tumor biological characteristics, risk of recurrence, and survival. In spite of this, there are limitations and challenges to be overcome before the implementation of radiomics into clinical routine. In this article, we will review the concepts of radiomics and their current potential applications in patients with HCC. It is important that the multidisciplinary team involved in the treatment of patients with HCC be aware of the basic principles, benefits, and limitations of radiomics in order to achieve a balanced interpretation of the results toward a personalized medicine.