A scoring model based on oral contrast–enhanced ultrasound for the diagnosis of gastric cancer: A preliminary study

Abstract

Background:

This study intends to develop a scoring model for using oral contrast–enhanced ultrasound to aid in the imaging diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Methods:

Patients with a pathological diagnosis of gastric lesions who underwent oral contrast–enhanced ultrasound examination in our hospital from September 2019 to December 2021 were included. The age, gender, and ultrasound image characteristics of the patients were analysed, and a scoring model was established. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the model’s discriminative performance, and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test was used to assess its goodness-of-fit.

Results:

A total of 66 patients were included in this study. Pathological examination confirmed malignant lesions in 9 patients and benign lesions in 57. The variables age, male sex, gastric wall thickness, loss of wall stratification, ulceration, and the presence of blood flow signals were used to establish a scoring model. A score greater than 4.65 was considered indicative of gastric cancer. The model demonstrated discriminative ability, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.92 (95% confidence interval, 0.83–0.97, p < 0.0001). The Hosmer–Lemeshow test indicated good calibration (p > 0.05).

Conclusion:

This scoring system using oral contrast–enhanced ultrasound exhibited good diagnostic capability for gastric cancer and thus may be useful for screening. It will still require subsequent investigation of its reliability through prospective studies.