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Review
. 2023;4(3):406-421.
doi: 10.37349/etat.2023.00142. Epub 2023 Jun 30.

Artificial intelligence and radiomics in magnetic resonance imaging of rectal cancer: a review

Giuseppe Di Costanzo  1 , Raffaele Ascione  1 , Andrea Ponsiglione  2 , Anna Giacoma Tucci  1 , Serena Dell'Aversana  1 , Francesca Iasiello  1 , Enrico Cavaglià  1
Affiliations
Review

Artificial intelligence and radiomics in magnetic resonance imaging of rectal cancer: a review

Giuseppe Di Costanzo et al. Explor Target Antitumor Ther. 2023.

Abstract

Rectal cancer (RC) is one of the most common tumours worldwide in both males and females, with significant morbidity and mortality rates, and it accounts for approximately one-third of colorectal cancers (CRCs). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been demonstrated to be accurate in evaluating the tumour location and stage, mucin content, invasion depth, lymph node (LN) metastasis, extramural vascular invasion (EMVI), and involvement of the mesorectal fascia (MRF). However, these features alone remain insufficient to precisely guide treatment decisions. Therefore, new imaging biomarkers are necessary to define tumour characteristics for staging and restaging patients with RC. During the last decades, RC evaluation via MRI-based radiomics and artificial intelligence (AI) tools has been a research hotspot. The aim of this review was to summarise the achievement of MRI-based radiomics and AI for the evaluation of staging, response to therapy, genotyping, prediction of high-risk factors, and prognosis in the field of RC. Moreover, future challenges and limitations of these tools that need to be solved to favour the transition from academic research to the clinical setting will be discussed.

Keywords: Rectal cancer; artificial intelligence; machine learning; magnetic resonance imaging; radiomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphic representation of radiomics and AI main applications in the setting of RC. LVI: lymphatic vascular infiltration; PNI: perineural invasion; TB: tumour budding
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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