Comparison of Conventional and Radiomic Features between 18F-FBPA PET/CT and PET/MR

Abstract

Boron-10-containing positron emission tomography (PET) radio-tracer, 18F-FBPA, has been used to evaluate the feasibility and treatment outcomes of Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The clinical use of PET/MR is increasing and reveals its benefit in certain applications. However, the PET/CT is still the most widely used modality for daily PET practice due to its high quantitative accuracy and relatively low cost. Considering the different attenuation correction maps between PET/CT and PET/MR, comparison of derived image features from these two modalities is critical to identify quantitative imaging biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the comparability of image features extracted from 18F-FBPA PET/CT and PET/MR. A total of 15 patients with malignant brain tumor who underwent 18F-FBPA examinations using both PET/CT and PET/MR on the same day were retrospectively analyzed. Overall, four conventional imaging characteristics and 449 radiomic features were calculated from PET/CT and PET/MR, respectively. A linear regression model and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were estimated to evaluate the comparability of derived features between two modalities. Features were classified into strong, moderate, and weak comparability based on coefficient of determination (r2) and ICC. All of the conventional features, 81.2% of histogram, 37.5% of geometry, 51.5% of texture, and 25% of wavelet-based features, showed strong comparability between PET/CT and PET/MR. With regard to the wavelet filtering, radiomic features without filtering (61.2%) or with low-pass filtering (59.2%) along three axes produced strong comparability between the two modalities. However, only 8.2% of the features with high-pass filtering showed strong comparability. The linear regression models were provided for the features with strong and moderate consensus to interchange the quantitative features between the PET/CT and the PET/MR. All of the conventional and 71% of the radiomic (mostly histogram and texture) features were sufficiently stable and could be interchanged between 18F-FBPA PET with different hybrid modalities using the proposed equations. Our findings suggested that the image features high interchangeability may facilitate future studies in comparing PET/CT and PET/MR.

The role of radiolabeling in BNCT tracers for enhanced dosimetry and treatment planning

“…However, it is important to note that most of the studies summarized in this review are based on preclinical data; thus, more comprehensive clinical studies are required to understand the potential of molecular imaging in combination with BNCT. At present, 18 F-FBPA is being employed in clinical settings to assess boron distribution in patients [107][108][109], with the expectation that forthcoming radiolabeled BNCT tracers will be integrated into clinical research endeavors, further catalyzing the advancement of this therapeutic strategy.…”

Nuclear medicine radiomics in digestive system tumors: Concept, applications, challenges, and future perspectives

“…This may result from different reconstruction processes, including the correction of attenuation, partial volume effects, and noise reduction. [ 80 , 81 ] Liao et al [ 82 ] conducted a study to examine the comparability of conventional features and RFs extracted from [ 18 F]F-fluoro-phenylalanine (FBPA) PET/CT and PET/MR obtained from the same cohort of patients, and further developed equations that enable the interchangeability of RFs between PET/CT and PET/MR images with satisfactory comparability. In terms of conventional features, a significant comparability was observed between PET/CT and PET/MR, with 81.2%, 37.5%, 51.5%, and 25% for histograms, geometry, texture, and wavelet-based features, respectively.…”

PET Imaging in Neuro-Oncology: An Update and Overview of a Rapidly Growing Area

“…In addition to providing a one-shot PET/MRI procedure, PET/MRI allows to accurately combine information from PET imaging with those of advanced MRI techniques such as perfusion, diffusion, and spectroscopy. This is even more significant when working at the voxel level of radiomics analyses [ 119 ] to avoid any misregistration between two imaging techniques acquired with separate imaging systems [ 120 ]. Multitude studies have sought to associate and/or compare PET imaging with perfusion MRI [ 87 , 121 , 122 ], diffusion MRI [ 123 , 124 , 125 ], and spectroscopy [ 126 , 127 , 128 ] with PET/MR or to dissociate PET and MRI systems in neuro-oncology.…”