Radiogenomics for predicting p53 status, PD-L1 expression, and prognosis with machine learning in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: Radiogenomics is an emerging field that integrates “Radiomics” and “Genomics”. In the current study, we aimed to predict the genetic information of pancreatic tumours in a simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive manner, using cancer imaging analysis and radiogenomics. We focused on p53 mutations, which are highly implicated in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and PD-L1, a biomarker for immune checkpoint inhibitor-based therapies. METHODS: Overall, 107 patients diagnosed with PDAC were retrospectively examined. The relationship between p53 mutations as well as PD-L1 abnormal expression and clinicopathological factors was investigated using immunohistochemistry. Imaging features (IFs) were extracted from CT scans and were used to create prediction models of p53 and PD-L1 status. RESULTS: We found that p53 and PD-L1 are significant independent prognostic factors (P = 0.008, 0.013, respectively). The area under the curve for p53 and PD-L1 predictive models was 0.795 and 0.683, respectively. Radiogenomics-predicted p53 mutations were significantly associated with poor prognosis (P = 0.015), whereas the predicted abnormal expression of PD-L1 was not significant (P = 0.096). CONCLUSIONS: Radiogenomics could predict p53 mutations and in turn the prognosis of PDAC patients. Hence, prediction of genetic information using radiogenomic analysis may aid in the development of precision medicine.