Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39941859›Full record

ArticleCancers2025

Inter-Reader Agreement in LR-TRA Application and NLR Association in HCC Patients Treated with Endovascular vs. Ablative Procedures.

Davide Giuseppe Castiglione, Annamaria Porreca, Daniele Falsaperla, Federica Libra, Emanuele David, Roberta Maiuzzo, Mirko Domenico Castiglione, Cristina Mosconi, Stefano Palmucci, Pietro Valerio Foti and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancers, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Davide Giuseppe CastiglioneRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1542-1073
Annamaria PorrecaDepartment of Human Sciences and Promotion of the Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, Via di Val Cannuta, 247, 00166 Rome, Italy.
Daniele FalsaperlaRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0487-5563
Federica LibraRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.
Emanuele DavidRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.
Roberta MaiuzzoUniversity Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.
Mirko Domenico CastiglioneUniversity Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.ORCID 0009-0009-3357-950X
Cristina MosconiDepartment of Radiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico-IRCCS, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
Stefano PalmucciUOSD I.P.T.R.A., Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7196-2974
Pietro Valerio FotiRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-0918-0103
Antonio BasileRadiology Unit 1, Department of Medical Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies "GF Ingrassia", University of Catania, University Hospital Policlinico "G. Rodolico-San Marco", 95123 Catania, Italy.
Massimo GaliaSection of Radiology, Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced Diagnostics (BiND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Via del Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3913-6290

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to assess the performance of the LI-RADS tumor response algorithm in analyzing inter-reader agreement in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with Microwave Ablation (MWA) and Transarterial Embolization (TAE) and the relationship between inter-reader agreement and Neutrophils to Lymphocytes ratio dynamic variations at different time points to explore how inflammation influences tumor response and its interpretation on imaging.

methodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on 78 HCC patients treated with MWA or TAE. Two independent radiologists evaluated pre- and post-treatment imaging and assigned categories according to the LR-TRA. Inter-reader agreement was assessed with a focus on subgroup analysis considering the different locoregional treatments. NLR values, measured at baseline (T0), 72 h (T1), and 30 days post-procedure (T2), were compared with patients with concordant and discordant LR-TRA assessments. This analysis aimed to identify any association between NLR dynamics and inter-reader agreement on treatment response.

resultsThe inter-reader agreement in the LR-TRA application was "substantial" in the cases of MWA treatment evaluation (κ = 0.65), and "moderate" in the cases of TAE treatment evaluation (κ = 0.51). The differences in inter-reader agreement were found to be expressions of different levels of NLR mean values in the different time frames evaluated. Three days after treatment, NLR increased significantly in TAE groups. At 30 days, NLR had returned close to baseline levels but with NLR persisting higher in the TAE group. There was a statistically significant difference in NLR between the "mismatch" group (those with discrepant LR-TRA readings) and the "match" group at 3 days (

conclusionsThis study has shown that NLR levels can predict inter-reader discrepancies in LR-TRA assessment and may be translated into different levels of difficult imaging interpretation. Combining LR-TRA and NLR is promising for a more comprehensive assessment of tumor response and inflammatory dynamics.

Indexed as

hepatocarcinomainter-reader agreementinterventional oncologyinterventional radiologyLI-RADS TRAmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI)MWAneutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (NLR)TAEtumor response

Identifiers

PMID39941859
PMCPMC11816166

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.