Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39990680›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2025

Comparison of intensity normalization methods in prostate, brain, and breast cancer multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging.

Savannah R Duenweg, Samuel A Bobholz, Allison K Lowman, Aleksandra Winiarz, Biprojit Nath, Michael J Barrett, Fitzgerald Kyereme, Stephanie Vincent-Sheldon, Peter LaViolette

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
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

9 authors.

Savannah R DuenwegDepartment of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Samuel A BobholzDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Allison K LowmanDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Aleksandra WiniarzDepartment of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Biprojit NathDepartment of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Michael J BarrettDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Fitzgerald KyeremeDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Stephanie Vincent-SheldonDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.
Peter LaVioletteDepartment of Radiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States.

Funding

Prostate Cancer Radio-Pathomics for Differentiating Clinically Significant DiseaseR01CA249882 · NCI · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · PI LAVIOLETTE, PETER S · 2021 to 2025
$3.0M
Brain Cancer Radio-Pathomics for Predicting Heterogeneous CytologyR01CA218144 · NCI · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · PI LAVIOLETTE, PETER S · 2017 to 2021
$1.9M
Bayesian learning algorithms for identifying and classifying heterogeneity of cell types in variety of solid tumorsR21CA231892 · NCI · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · PI BANERJEE, ANJISHNU · 2018 to 2019
$362k
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA218144NCI NIH HHS R01 CA249882NCI NIH HHS R21 CA231892
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Intensity variation in multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) is a confounding factor in MRI analyses. Previous studies have employed several normalization methods, but there is a lack of consensus on which method results in the most comparable images across vendors and acquisitions. This study used MP-MRI collected from patients with confirmed prostate, brain, or breast cancer to examine common intensity normalization methods to identify which best harmonizes intensity values across cofounds. Materials and methods: Multiple normalization methods were deployed for intensity comparison between three unique sites, MR vendors, and magnetic field strength. Additionally, we calculated radiomic features before and after intensity normalization to determine how downstream analyses may be affected. Specifically, in the prostate cancer cohort, we tested these methods on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and additionally looked at a subset of patients who were scanned with and without the use of an endorectal coil (ERC). In a cohort of glioblastoma (GBM) patients, we tested these methods in T1 pre- and post-contrast enhancement (T1, T1C), fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Finally, in the breast cancer cohort, we tested methods on T1-weighted nonfat-suppressed images. All methods were compared using a two one-sided test (TOST) to test for equivalence of mean and standard deviation of intensity distributions. Results: While each organ had unique results, across every tested comparison, using the Z-score of intensity within a mask of the organ consistently provided an equivalent distribution (all p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our results suggest that intensity normalization using the Z-score of intensity within prostate, breast, and brain MR images produces the most comparable intensities between sites, MR vendors, magnetic field strength, and prostate endorectal coil usage. Likewise, Z-score normalization provided the highest percentage of radiomic features that were statistically equal across the three organs.

Indexed as

brain cancerbreast cancerMRInormalizationprostate cancerradiomics

Identifiers

PMID39990680
PMCPMC11842255

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.