Validation of the Node Reporting and Data System (Node-RADS) for standardized CT evaluation of regional lymph nodes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Abstract

Objectives: The accurate identification of positive lymph nodes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) influences patient risk assessment and treatment decisions, but there is no standardized approach for radiological evaluation. The aim of this study was to verify the diagnostic performance of the new Node Reporting and Data System 1.0 (Node-RADS) in the assessment of lymph node metastasis in patients with ESCC, as verified by final histopathology.

Methods: Node-RADS is a scoring system composed of different criteria for evaluating lymph node metastasis, with scores ranging from 1 to 5, corresponding to the degree of suspicion of lymph node involvement. In this single-center study, Node-RADS was used to retrospectively evaluate regional lymph nodes in 173 ESCC patients who underwent computed tomography (CT) before radical resection. In addition, the area under the ROC curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated for the Node-RADS score and individual criteria.

Results: Node-RADS outperformed the individual assessment criteria (AUC: 94.3%, sensitivity: 96.5%, specificity: 92.0%), with scores ≥ 3 indicating the maximum diagnostic effectiveness. The diagnostic efficiency of the highest Node-RADS score surpassed that of the short axis score (AUC: 94.3% vs. 81.9%, p < 0.001). Our results indicated that the best diagnostic cut-off points for the short axis, long axis and short axis/long axis ratio were 9 mm, 11 mm, and 0.74, respectively.

Conclusion: Node-RADS has emerged as a practical, repetitive method for the early identification of high-risk metastatic lymph nodes, providing therapeutic guidance and predicting disease prognosis in ESCC patients.

Key points: Question How does the Node Reporting and Data System 1.0 (Node-RADS) perform in the assessment of lymph node metastasis in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)? Findings The maximum diagnostic efficiency was achieved with a Node-RADS score of ≥ 3. Clinical relevance The Node-RADS has improved diagnostic efficiency for distinguishing lymph node metastasis in patients with ESCC.