CheckList for EvaluAtion of Radiomics research (CLEAR): a step-by-step reporting guideline for authors and reviewers endorsed by ESR and EuSoMII

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Burak Kocak - , University of Health Sciences (Author)
  • Bettina Baessler - , University Hospital of Würzburg (Author)
  • Spyridon Bakas - , University of Pennsylvania (Author)
  • Renato Cuocolo - , University of Salerno (Author)
  • Andrey Fedorov - , Harvard Medical School (HMS) (Author)
  • Lena Maier-Hein - , German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (Author)
  • Nathaniel Mercaldo - , Institute for Technology Assessment (Author)
  • Henning Müller - , University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (Author)
  • Fanny Orlhac - , Institut Curie (Author)
  • Daniel Pinto Dos Santos - , Uniklinik Köln (Author)
  • Arnaldo Stanzione - , Universita' di Napoli Federico II (Author)
  • Lorenzo Ugga - , Universita' di Napoli Federico II (Author)
  • Alex Zwanenburg - , University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, OncoRay - National Centre for Radiation Research in Oncology (Author)

Abstract

Even though radiomics can hold great potential for supporting clinical decision-making, its current use is mostly limited to academic research, without applications in routine clinical practice. The workflow of radiomics is complex due to several methodological steps and nuances, which often leads to inadequate reporting and evaluation, and poor reproducibility. Available reporting guidelines and checklists for artificial intelligence and predictive modeling include relevant good practices, but they are not tailored to radiomic research. There is a clear need for a complete radiomics checklist for study planning, manuscript writing, and evaluation during the review process to facilitate the repeatability and reproducibility of studies. We here present a documentation standard for radiomic research that can guide authors and reviewers. Our motivation is to improve the quality and reliability and, in turn, the reproducibility of radiomic research. We name the checklist CLEAR (CheckList for EvaluAtion of Radiomics research), to convey the idea of being more transparent. With its 58 items, the CLEAR checklist should be considered a standardization tool providing the minimum requirements for presenting clinical radiomics research. In addition to a dynamic online version of the checklist, a public repository has also been set up to allow the radiomics community to comment on the checklist items and adapt the checklist for future versions. Prepared and revised by an international group of experts using a modified Delphi method, we hope the CLEAR checklist will serve well as a single and complete scientific documentation tool for authors and reviewers to improve the radiomics literature.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number75
Journal Insights into imaging
Volume14
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 4 May 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC10160267
Scopus 85158903212

Keywords

Library keywords