Dual time point imaging of staging PSMA PET/CT quantification; spread and radiomic analyses

• Published in: Annals of nuclear medicine 2022-03, Vol.36 (3), p.310-318
• Main Authors: Aksu, Ayşegül, Vural Topuz, Özge, Yılmaz, Gülşah, Çapa Kaya, Gamze, Yılmaz, Burçak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Antigens; Computed tomography; Correlation; Heterogeneity; Imaging; Invasiveness; Mathematical models; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metastases; Metastasis; Multivariate analysis; Nuclear Medicine; Original Article; Parameter sensitivity; Performance evaluation; Positron emission; Positron emission tomography; Prostate; Prostate cancer; Radiology; Radiomics; Statistical analysis; Tomography; Tumors
• ISSN: 0914-7187; 1864-6433
• DOI: 10.1007/s12149-021-01705-5

Objective The aims were to evaluate the performance of models that predict Gleason Grade (GG) groups with radiomic data obtained from the prostate gland in dual time 68Ga-Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography/Computerized Tomography (PET/CT) images for prostate cancer (PCa) staging, and to analyze the contribution of late imaging to the radiomic model and to evaluate the relationship of the distance between tumor foci in the body (Dmax) obtained in early PET images with histopathology and prostate specific antigen (PSA) value. Methods Between October 2020 and August 2021, 41 patients who underwent 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for staging of PCa were retrospectively analyzed. Volumetric and radiomics data were obtained from early and late PSMA PET images. The differences between age, metastasis status, PSA, standard uptake value (SUV), volumetric and radiomics parameters between GG groups were analyzed. Early and late PET radiomic models were created, area under curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values of the models were obtained. In addition, the correlation of Dmax values with total PSMA-tumor volume (TV), Total lesion (TL)-PSMA and PSA values was evaluated. In metastatic patients, the difference in Dmax between GG groups was analyzed. Results There was a significant difference between patients with GG ≤ 3 and > 3 in 35 of the early PET radiomic features. In the early PET model, multivariate analyses showed that GLRLM_RLNU and PSA were the most meaningful parameters. The AUC, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values of the early model in detecting patients with GG > 3 were calculated as 0.902, 76.2%, 84% and 78.1%, respectively. In 36 late PET radiomic features, there was a significant difference between patients with GG ≤ 3 and > 3. In multivariate analyses; SHAPE_compacity and PSA were obtained as the most meaningful parameters. The AUC, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy values of the late model in detecting patients with GG > 3 were calculated as 0.924, 85.7%, 85% and 85.4%. There was a strong correlation between Dmax and PSA values ( p