Abstract
BACKGROUND: To develop and validate an innovative predictive model that integrates multisequence magnetic resonance (MR) radiomics, deep learning features, and clinical indicators to accurately predict the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after thermal ablation. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter cohort study enrolled patients who were diagnosed with HCC and treated via thermal ablation. We extracted radiomic features from multisequence 3T MR images, analyzed these images using a 3D convolutional neural network (3D CNN), and incorporated clinical data into the model. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: The study included 535 patients from three hospitals, comprising 462 males and 43 females. The RDC model, which stands for the Radiomics-Deep Learning-Clinical data model, demonstrated high predictive accuracy, achieving AUCs of 0.794 in the training set, 0.777 in the validation set, and 0.787 in the test set. Statistical analysis confirmed the model's robustness and the significant contribution of the integrated features to its predictive capabilities. CONCLUSION: The RDC model effectively predicts HCC recurrence after thermal ablation by synergistically combining advanced imaging analysis and clinical parameters. This study highlights the potential of such integrative approaches to enhance prognostic assessments in HCC patients and offers a promising tool for clinical decision-making.