Truace
Subscribe

AI-measured MRI feature predicts early liver cancer return after surgery

Study title: Quantified enhancement volume based on MRI as a prognostic biomarker for early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma

Researchers analysed 532 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had liver surgery, split into an internal group of 372 and an external group of 160. They used artificial intelligence to automatically measure how much of the tumour enhanced on MRI in the arterial, portal venous and delayed phases.

Read the study abstract

To investigate the association between MRI multi-phase enhancement volume and early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This multicenter retrospective study included 532 HCC patients who underwent hepatectomy and were divided into an internal cohort (n=372) and an external cohort (n=160). We automatically measured multi-phase enhanced volume on MRI using artificial intelligence techniques, including arterial phase enhancement volume fraction (AP_EnVF), portal venous phase enhancement volu…

By the Truvace desk1 min read1 sourceEvidence: Moderate · 60/100 — Observational study · n = 532 · 1 independent sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-2264· cite & verify
Quantified enhancement volume based on MRI as a prognostic biomarker for early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma"Medical laboratories and clinics in Kinwat" by Mouryan, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In brief

Of the three measures, only the arterial phase one tracked with early recurrence, which suggests it could help flag higher-risk patients before surgery. Because the work is retrospective, it shows an association rather than proof that using the measure improves patient outcomes.

Main points

  1. The study was multicenter and retrospective, covering 532 patients who underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
  2. Each 15% decrease in preoperative AP_EnVF was linked to higher early recurrence risk, with a hazard ratio of 1.63 in the internal cohort.
  3. In the external cohort, the same decrease in AP_EnVF was linked to a hazard ratio of 2.54.
  4. Portal venous and delayed phase enhancement fractions showed no significant predictive value (both p > 0.05).

The gain

An AI-measured arterial phase enhancement volume fraction on preoperative MRI was independently associated with early recurrence after liver cancer surgery, in both an internal and an external patient group.

The rundown

The team split patients into an internal cohort of 372 and an external cohort of 160, which let them test whether the finding held in a separate group. Independent predictors were identified with Lasso-Cox and multivariable Cox regression.

Three AI-derived measures were compared: arterial phase, portal venous phase and delayed phase enhancement volume fractions. Only the arterial phase fraction (AP_EnVF) was a significant predictor of early recurrence in both cohorts, with confidence intervals of 1.12 to 2.37 and 1.18 to 5.47 respectively.

Sources

  1. Peer-reviewedBMC Medical Imaging2026-10-24

The debate