Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 21, 2026; 32(43): 120562
Published online Nov 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.120562
Published online Nov 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.120562
Optimal 10-mm window: Integrating peri-ablation radiomics with preoperative features to predict early hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after thermal ablation
Ting Liu, Tian-Tian Dong, Ying-Ying Jia, Yang-Yang Zhu, Chuan-Min Wei, Fang Nie, Ultrasound Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Chuang Wu, Department of Magnetic Resonance, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Ying Duan, Ultrasound Medicine Center, Gansu Provincial Cancer Hospital, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Yong-Xin Li, School of Automation and Intelligence, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
Co-first authors: Ting Liu and Chuang Wu.
Author contributions: Liu T and Wu C conceived and designed the study as co-first authors; Nie F provided administrative support; Dong TT provided study materials; Zhu YY, Jia YY, Wei CM, and Duan Y collected and assembled data; Wu C and Li YX analyzed and interpreted data. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Supported by Key Research and Development Program of Gansu Province, China, No. 21YF5FA122.
Institutional review board statement: This study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Lanzhou University Second Hospital, No. 2026A-219.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The data are not publicly available due to ongoing research.
Corresponding author: Fang Nie, PhD, Professor, Ultrasound Medicine Center, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, No. 82 Cuiyingmen, Chengguan District, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. ery_nief@lzu.edu.cn
Received: March 4, 2026
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: June 15, 2026
Published online: November 21, 2026
Processing time: 207 Days and 9.3 Hours
Revised: April 15, 2026
Accepted: June 15, 2026
Published online: November 21, 2026
Processing time: 207 Days and 9.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Pre-operative ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound radiomic features can effectively predict early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after thermal ablation. Imaging features of the 10-mm peri-ablation zone, when combined with pre-operative features, provide significant incremental predictive value and may help guide personalized adjuvant therapy and surveillance strategies.