Investigation of Texture Features in Head and Neck Cancer: Preliminary Results for Early Radiation Therapy induced Changes

Motivation: Radiomic texture features are considered promising biomarkers for tumor’s response to therapy. Goal(s): To identify texture features that can enhance predictive accuracy regarding tumor treatment outcomes. Approach: The study included 13 patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiation therapy, with MRI (T2w, DWI) conducted before treatment and during early-treatment phase. Image processing, tumor segmentation, and feature extraction are performed. Results: Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with a Holm-Bonferroni correction reveals that Skewness in T2w-images exhibits significant changes during early treatment. This finding suggests that this feature may hold promise for predicting therapeutic responses, although larger studies are needed to confirm these results. Impact: The study's preliminary findings suggest that Skewness in T2w images may have the potential to provide useful information for early response assessment in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy, warranting further investigation to confirm its clinical significance.