CT and MRI based multi-modal and multi-parametric radiomics  pre-operative prediction of perineural invasion in patients with rectal cancer

Perineural invasion (PNI), defined by tumor invasion of nervous structures and nerve sheaths, which is thought an independent predictor of outcome in rectal cancer. However, for a radiologist, neither MRI nor CT can reliably evaluate PNI. Radiomics is an emerging and effective method for quantitative analysis and prediction using big data of medical imaging. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate a radiomics prediction model based on MRI and CT for the preoperative prediction of PNI in rectal cancer. The results indicated that excellent diagnostic performance can be yielded with such multi-modal radiomics.