Radiomics Analysis Based on Preoperative Multiparametric MRI for Prediction of TACE Refractoriness in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Motivation: Parts of HCC respond poorly to TACE, and its efficacy declines as the number of procedures increases in the clinical practice, which is called TACE refractoriness. Goal(s): To develop and validate a preoperative multiparametric MRI-based radiomics model to predict TACE refractoriness in HCC. Approach: Radiomics feature selection was performed using PCC and RFE, and SVM was used to construct radiomic models based on each sequence and their combination, clinical-radiological model based on selected clinical-radiological predictor and combined model. Results: The combined model exhibited excellent predictive performance. The multi-phase radiomics signature performed better in predicting TACE refractoriness compared to the best single-phase radiomics signature. Impact: The preoperative multiparametric MRI radiomics analysis can predict TACE refractoriness in hepatocellular carcinoma, which may provide better guidance for decision-making regarding further TACE treatment and optimize the mode of treatment and patient management, ultimately resulting in patient survival benefits.