A Machine Learning Model Based on MRI Radiomics to Predict Response to Chemoradiation Among Patients with Rectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND

With rectum-sparing protocols becoming more common for rectal cancer treatment, this study aimed to predict the pathological complete response (pCR) to preoperative chemoradiotherapy (pCRT) in rectal cancer patients using pre-treatment MRI and a radiomics-based machine learning approach.

METHODS

We divided MRI-data from 102 patients into a training cohort (n = 72) and a validation cohort (n = 30). In the training cohort, 52 patients were classified as non-responders and 20 as pCR based on histological results from total mesorectal excision.

RESULTS

We trained various machine learning models using radiomic features to capture disease heterogeneity between responders and non-responders. The best-performing model achieved a receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC-AUC) of 73% and an accuracy of 70%, with a sensitivity of 78% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 80%. In the validation cohort, the model showed a sensitivity of 81%, specificity of 75%, and accuracy of 80%.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight the potential of radiomics and machine learning in predicting treatment response and support the integration of advanced imaging and computational methods for personalized rectal cancer management.