Investigation of multimodal deep learning models for predicting ovarian tumor malignancy based on ultrasound images and clinical information – a comprehensive comparative study against readers and O-RADS

BACKGROUND: As the second deadly cancer affecting women globally, precise and timely classification of ovarian tumors plays an instrumental role in improving the rate of curing and reducing the rate of mortality. This study was set out to comprehensively investigate the effectiveness of deep learning model for classifying benign and malignant ovarian tumors, utilizing multimodal ultrasound images and clinical data, in comparison to traditional methods such as manual assessment by radiologists and those based on O-RADS. METHODS: with clinical data (e.g. age, CA125, CA199, HE4, SCC, ROMA index, menopausal state, and mass volume). The outcome measure was the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). We compared the models' performance in the test dataset against both radiologists, O-RADS and single-mode models. RESULTS: model exhibited almost identical accuracy as a level III expert, demonstrating its promising potential as an clinical diagnostic tool to assist junior radiologists. CONCLUSION: The deep learning model integrating multimodal ultrasound images and clinical information is capable of discriminating between benign and malignant ovarian tumors, exceeding the diagnostic capabilities of both radiologists and O-RADS assessments.