Objective To investigate the preoperative prediction of the expression level of programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)by a nomogram model constructed with clinical data,conventional CT signs and spectral CT parameters.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 52 patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC and undergoing preoperative spectral CT examination.The patients were categorized into positive and negative groups according to PD-L1 expression level,and their clinical data,conventional CT signs and spectral CT parameters were collected.Specifically,clinical data included gender,age,Ki-67 and tumor markers;conventional CT signs included tumor density,margins,calcification,spiculation,lobulation,pleural indentation and cavitation;and spectral CT parameters measured in the arterial and venous phases included effective atomic number(Eff-Z),iodine concentration(IC),water concentration(WC)and normalized iodine concentration(NIC).Intergroup differences were analyzed,and multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors and establish the prediction model which was evaluated for prediction performance and accuracy using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration curve and decision curve analyses.Results For clinical data,only the difference in gender between two groups had statistical significance(P<0.05).The spectral CT parameters(IC,NIC and Eff-Z)in the arterial and venous phases of PD-L1 positive group were all greater than those of PD-L1 negative group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified gender(P=0.024),venous-phase Eff-Z(P=0.002),and venous-phase IC(P=0.003)as independent predictive factors for PD-L1 expression.The nomogram prediction model constructed with these independent predictors had an area under curve of 0.80,a sensitivity of 88.00%,and a specificity of 59.00%.The calibration curve showed that the predicted values had a high consistency with the actual values.The decision curve revealed that when the high-risk threshold was between 0.10 and 0.83,the model could achieve the maximum net benefit.Conclusion The nomogram model constructed with spectral CT parameters and clinical data has certain value in predicting the expression level of PD-L1 in NSCLC.

BACKGROUND: Lung adenocarcinoma is an important pathohistologic subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Invasive non-mucinous pulmonary adenocarcinomas (INMA) tend to have a poor prognosis due to their significant heterogeneity and diverse histologic components. Establishing a histologic grading system for INMA is crucial for evaluating its malignancy. In 2021, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) proposed that a new histological grading system could better stratify the prognosis of INMA patients. The aim of this study was to establish a visualized nomogram model to predict INMA IASLC grading preoperatively by means of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), fractal dimension (FD), clinical features and conventional CT parameters. METHODS: A total of 112 patients with INMA who underwent preoperative DECT were retrospectively enrolled from March 2021 to January 2025. Patients were categorized into low-intermediate grade and high grade groups based on IASLC grading. The clinical characteristics and conventional CT parameters, including baseline features, biochemical markers, and serum tumor markers, were collected. DECT-derived parameters, including iodine concentration (IC), effective atomic number (eff-Z), and normalized IC (NIC), were collected and determined as NIC ratio (NICr) and fractal dimension (FD). Univariate analysis was employed to compare differences in conventional characteristics and DECT parameters between the two groups. Variables demonstrating statistical significance were subsequently incorporated into a multivariate Logistic regression analysis. A nomogram model integrating clinical data, conventional CT parameters, and DECT parameters was developed to identify independent predictors for IASLC grading of INMA. The discriminatory performance of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified smoking history [odds ratio (OR)=2.848, P=0.041], lobulation sign (OR=2.163, P=0.004), air bronchogram (OR=7.833, P=0.005), eff-Z in arterial phase (OR=4.266, P<0.001), and IC in arterial phase (OR=1.290, P=0.012) as independent and significant predictors for IASLC grading of INMA. The nomogram model constructed based on these indicators demonstrated optimal predictive performance, achieving an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.804 (95%CI: 0.725-0.883), with specificity and sensitivity of 85.3% and 65.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The nomogram model based on clinical features, imaging features and spectral CT parameters have a large potential for application in the preoperative noninvasive assessment of INMA IASLC grading.
Humans ; Nomograms ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Adenocarcinoma of Lung/pathology* ; Neoplasm Grading ; Adult

Objective To investigate the preoperative prediction of the expression level of programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1)in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)by a nomogram model constructed with clinical data,conventional CT signs and spectral CT parameters.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 52 patients with pathologically confirmed NSCLC and undergoing preoperative spectral CT examination.The patients were categorized into positive and negative groups according to PD-L1 expression level,and their clinical data,conventional CT signs and spectral CT parameters were collected.Specifically,clinical data included gender,age,Ki-67 and tumor markers;conventional CT signs included tumor density,margins,calcification,spiculation,lobulation,pleural indentation and cavitation;and spectral CT parameters measured in the arterial and venous phases included effective atomic number(Eff-Z),iodine concentration(IC),water concentration(WC)and normalized iodine concentration(NIC).Intergroup differences were analyzed,and multivariate Logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors and establish the prediction model which was evaluated for prediction performance and accuracy using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,calibration curve and decision curve analyses.Results For clinical data,only the difference in gender between two groups had statistical significance(P<0.05).The spectral CT parameters(IC,NIC and Eff-Z)in the arterial and venous phases of PD-L1 positive group were all greater than those of PD-L1 negative group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis identified gender(P=0.024),venous-phase Eff-Z(P=0.002),and venous-phase IC(P=0.003)as independent predictive factors for PD-L1 expression.The nomogram prediction model constructed with these independent predictors had an area under curve of 0.80,a sensitivity of 88.00%,and a specificity of 59.00%.The calibration curve showed that the predicted values had a high consistency with the actual values.The decision curve revealed that when the high-risk threshold was between 0.10 and 0.83,the model could achieve the maximum net benefit.Conclusion The nomogram model constructed with spectral CT parameters and clinical data has certain value in predicting the expression level of PD-L1 in NSCLC.