Machine learning-driven imaging data for early prediction of lung toxicity in breast cancer radiotherapy

One possible adverse effect of breast irradiation is the development of pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to determine whether planning CT scans can predict which patients are more likely to develop lung lesions after treatment. A retrospective analysis of 242 patient records was performed using different machine learning models. These models showed a remarkable correlation between the occurrence of fibrosis and the hounsfield units of lungs in CT data. Three different classification methods (Tree, Kernel-based, k-Nearest Neighbors) showed predictive values above 60%. The human predictive factor (HPF), a mathematical predictive model, further strengthened the association between lung hounsfield unit (HU) metrics and radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). These approaches optimize radiation treatment plans to preserve lung health. Machine learning models and HPF can also provide effective diagnostic and therapeutic support for other diseases.