Image-Based Deep Learning Model for Predicting Lymph Node Metastasis in Lung Adenocarcinoma With CT ≤ 2 cm.

Background: Lymph node metastasis (LNM) poses a considerable threat to survival in lung adenocarcinoma. Currently, minor resection is the recommended surgical approach for small-diameter lung cancer. The accurate preoperative identification of LNM in patients with small-diameter lung cancer is important for improving patient survival and outcomes.

Methods: A total of 1740 patients with clinical early-stage lung adenocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection were enrolled in this study. The Lasso model was used to screen clinical and imaging features, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relevant diagnostic factors to establish a diagnostic model for predicting LNM. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, decision curve analysis (DCA) and calibration curve analysis were used to verify the clinical efficacy of the model, which was further validated with an internal validation set.

Results: The proportion of solid components (PSC), sphericity, nodule margin, entropy, and edge blur were identified as diagnostic factors that were strongly correlated with LNM in lung adenocarcinoma patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) in the internal training set was 0.91. Decision curve analysis revealed that the model could achieve greater benefits for patients. The calibration curve was used to further verify the applicability of the prediction model.

Conclusions: Patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma with LNM can be identified by typical imaging features. The diagnostic model can help to optimize surgical planning among thoracic surgeons.