The value of MRI in differentiating ovarian clear cell carcinoma from other adnexal masses with O-RADS MRI scores of 4-5.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the utility of clinical and MRI features in distinguishing ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) from adnexal masses with ovarian-adnexal reporting and data system (O-RADS) MRI scores of 4-5.

Methods: This retrospective study included 850 patients with indeterminate adnexal masses on ultrasound. Two radiologists evaluated all preoperative MRIs using the O-RADS MRI risk stratification system. Patients with O-RADS MRI scores of 4-5 were divided into a training set (n = 135, hospital A) and a test set (n = 86, hospital B). Clinical and MRI features were compared between CCC and non-CCC patients. Analysis of variance and support vector machine were used to develop four CCC prediction models. Tenfold cross-validation was applied to determine the hyperparameters. Model performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC) and decision curve.

Results: 221 patients were included (30 CCCs, 191 non-CCCs). CA125, HE4, CEA, ROMA, endometriosis, shape, parity, unilocular, component, the growth pattern of mural nodules, high signal on T1WI, number of nodules, the ratio of signal intensity, and the ADC value were significantly different between CCCs and non-CCCs. The kappa and interobserver correlation coefficient of each MRI feature exceeded 0.85. The comprehensive model combining clinical and MRI features had a greater AUC than the clinical model and tumour maker model (0.92 vs 0.66 and 0.78 in the test set; both p < 0.05), displaying improved net benefit.

Conclusions: The comprehensive model combining clinical and MRI features can effectively differentiate CCC from adnexal masses with O-RADS MRI scores of 4-5.

Critical relevance statement: CCC has a high incidence rate in Asians and has limited sensitivity to platinum chemotherapy. This comprehensive model improves CCC prediction ability and clinical applicability for facilitating individualised clinical decision-making.

Key points: Identifying ovarian CCC preoperatively is beneficial for treatment planning. Ovarian CCC tends to be high-signal on T1WI, unilocular, big size, with endometriosis and low CEA. This model, integrating clinical and MRI features, can differentiate ovarian CCC from adnexal masses with O-RADS MRI scores 4-5.