Proteomics and Radiomics in Diagnosis of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

The differential expression of proteins in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and nasopharyngeal inflammation were analyzed by using surface enhanced laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). These proteins were quantitatively analyzed to find the marker proteins that are closely related to the diagnosis of NPC. Radiomics was used to select imaging markers associated with NPC. Fifty patients with NPC without distant metastasis and 50 patients with nasopharyngeal inflammation confirmed by pathology were included, and all of them received serological tests and enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) examination before treatment. SELDI-TOF-MS was used to quantify the proteins extracted from each group, and quantitative analysis was performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins of the two groups. Radiomics method was used on MR images to screen out the radiomics features closely related to NPC, and correlation analysis was conducted between these features and the above proteomics features for image-proteomics analysis. Proteomics and radiomics can be used to diagnose nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Certain protein was highly expressed in the NPC group and could be used as a biomarker protein closely related to the diagnosis of NPC. Certain radiomic features can be used as an imaging marker in the diagnosis of NPC.