Computed tomography-based radiomics signature as a pretreatment predictor of progression-free survival in locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma with a different response to induction chemotherapy

Abstract

Purpose: To establish and validate a radiomics signature for stratifying the risk of progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma (LAHC) undergoing induction chemotherapy (IC).

Methods: We extracted radiomics features from baseline contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) images. We enrolled 112 LAHC patients (78 in the training cohort and 34 in the validation cohort). We used cox regression model and random survival forests variable hunting (RSFVH) algorithm for feature selection and radiomics signature building. The radiomics signature was established in the training cohort and tested in the validation cohort. We used the Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test to evaluate the ability of radiomics signature in PFS risk stratification among patients with different IC responses and constructed a radiomics nomogram to predict individual PFS risk.

Results: The radiomics signature performed well in stratifying patients into highrisk and low-risk groups of progression in both the training and validation cohorts. The radiomics nomogram showed good discriminative ability for predicting PFS. Survival outcome analysis of subsets indicated that the radiomics signature performed well in stratifying the risk of PFS in patients with LAHC with different IC responses.

Conclusions: The radiomics signature was a pretreatment predictor for PFS in patients with LAHC who exhibited different responses to IC.

Keywords: Computed tomography; Hypopharyngeal carcinoma; Induction chemotherapy; Prognosis; Radiomics.