ECR 2007 / C-299
Imaging biomarkers in colorectal cancer: Texture analysis of hepatic CT
Authors:
B. Ganeshan1, K. A. Miles2, R. C. D. Young1, C. R. Chatwin1; 1Falmer/UK, 2Brighton/UK
Conclusions
Texture analysis of hepatic CT can be an useful adjunct in computer assisted diagnosis:
- The greater sensitivity of additional liver texture quantification parameters – entropy and uniformity to tumour-related changes in the liver during contrast enhanced CT highlights their potential to increase the utility of contrast enhancement by identifying patients at risk of subsequently developing overt liver lesions.
- Liver texture has the potential to act as an imaging biomarker which predicts patients with intra- and extra-hepatic disease from apparently disease-free areas of non-contrast and contrast enhanced CT images of the liver.
- Liver texture reflects hepatic physiology providing a rationale that supports the use of hepatic texture analysis as a biomarker for patients with colorectal cancer.
- Liver texture identifies colorectal cancer patients with reduced survival.
- This texture analysis technique is readily applicable to CT images acquired in routine clinical practice, avoiding additional image acquisition protocols employed by other methods which are complex and expensive, and offers a possible means to select sub-groups of patients for more intense follow-up or additional treatment.