Ovarian imaging radiomics quality score assessment: an EuSoMII radiomics auditing group initiative

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the methodological rigor of radiomics-based studies using noninvasive imaging in ovarian setting. Methods Multiple medical literature archives (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched to retrieve original studies focused on computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound (US), or positron emission tomography (PET) radiomics for ovarian disorders’ assessment. Two researchers in consensus evaluated each investigation using the radiomics quality score (RQS). Subgroup analyses were performed to assess whether the total RQS varied according to first author category, study aim and topic, imaging modality, and journal quartile. Results From a total of 531 items, 63 investigations were finally included in the analysis. The studies were greatly focused (94%) on the field of oncology, with CT representing the most used imaging technique (41%). Overall, the papers achieved a median total RQS 6 (IQR, −0.5 to 11), corresponding to a percentage of 16.7% of the maximum score (IQR, 0–30.6%). The scoring was low especially due to the lack of prospective design and formal validation of the results. At subgroup analysis, the 4 studies not focused on oncological topic showed significantly lower quality scores than the others. Conclusions The overall methodological rigor of radiomics studies in the ovarian field is still not ideal, limiting the reproducibility of results and potential translation to clinical setting. More efforts towards a standardized methodology in the workflow are needed to allow radiomics to become a viable tool for clinical decision-making. Key Points • The 63 included studies using noninvasive imaging for ovarian applications were mostly focused on oncologic topic (94%). • The included investigations achieved a median total RQS 6 (IQR, −0.5 to 11), indicating poor methodological rigor. • The RQS was low especially due to the lack of prospective design and formal validation of the results.

Current status and quality of radiomics studies for predicting outcome in acute ischemic stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…For instance, a review of cholangiocarcinoma encompassing 38 original studies reported a median RQS of 9, amounting to just 25.0% of the total RQS ( 52 ). Similarly, a review focusing on ovarian imaging, which included 63 studies, found a median RQS of 6, corresponding to 30.6% of the total RQS, indicating lower scoring ( 53 ). Another meta-analysis covering 57 ovarian cancer studies reported an average RQS of 30.7%, which is also considered unsatisfactory ( 54 ).…”

Radiomics in Gynaecological Imaging: A State-of-the-Art Review

“…Moreover, inter-reader variability and reproducibility of the radiomics features are crucial for the validation of the radiomics model, and they are often missing in current studies. A recent systematic review pointed out that the methodological rigor and quality of radiomics studies are still unsatisfactory in ovarian pathologies, with a reported radiomics quality score of 6, corresponding to 16.7% of the total score, which is lower compared with other fields of research in radiomics studies [169][170][171].…”

A systematic review and meta-analysis of CT and MRI radiomics in ovarian cancer: methodological issues and clinical utility

“…In recent years, extensive studies using radiomics methods based on CT and MRI have linked quantitative image features to diagnosis, response evaluation, and prognostic prediction in patients with OC [ 8 , 17 , 18 ]. Nevertheless, it has remained difficult to assess the clinical value of radiomics in OC owing to the complexity of the methods and varying study designs.…”