From center to edge: Prognostic implications of spatial metabolic heterogeneity, normalized hotspot-to-centroid and perimeter distance, on PET imaging. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Eur J Nucl Med Mol ImagingJul 10, 2026 (epub)
Sajjad Sadeghpour, Ramin Sadeghi, Atena Aghaee et al.
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In 30 seconds
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the prognostic value of PET-derived spatial radiomic features, specifically normalized hotspot-to-centroid (NHOC) and normalized hotspot-to-perimeter (NHOP) distances, in cancer patients. The analysis included 1,496 patients across ten studies, revealing that elevated NHOC was significantly associated with worse overall survival (HR of 2.313, 95% CI [1.418, 3.775], p = 0.001).
Key findings
- Elevated NHOC was associated with worse overall survival (HR of 2.313, 95% CI [1.418, 3.775], p = 0.001).
- In lung cancers, NHOC showed a strong association with overall survival (HR of 2.864, 95% CI [2.018, 4.063], p < 0.001).
- NHOP decrease indicated a non-significant trend toward poorer progression-free survival (HR = 2.92, 95% CI: 0.71-11.92).
- Predictive models based on NHOC demonstrated moderate performance with an AUC up to 0.77.
Why it matters
Understanding tumor heterogeneity through PET-derived biomarkers like NHOC can enhance prognostic assessments in oncology, potentially guiding treatment decisions and improving patient outcomes.