Integrative Multimodal Imaging and Multi-omics Profiling of HCC Heterogeneity: a Translational Exploratory Study Leveraging CEUS, Elastography, SMI, PAI, Multi-omics Analysis, and AI-driven Modeling to Advance Precision Diagnosis and Therapeutic Optimization
Primary liver cancer, mainly including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), represents the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Enhancing the precision of liver cancer diagnosis and providing early therapeutic efficacy and prognostic evaluation during clinical decision-making hold significant clinical importance. Ultrasound is the preferred imaging modality for liver cancer screening. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can dynamically visualize the microvascular perfusion of liver cancer lesions. Liver elastography has become a commonly used clinical assessment tool for cirrhosis. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI), an emerging non-invasive functional imaging technique, enables visualization of specific molecules through their spectroscopic characteristics at designated wavelengths. The objectives of this study include: (1) Conducting an observational investigation combining CEUS, elastography, and superb microvascular imaging (SMI) to collect imaging data; (2) Preserving tumor specimens from participants to investigate heterogeneous protein characteristics of primary liver cancer organoids using PAI; (3) Analyzing peripheral venous blood samples to study transcriptomic profiles. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be employed to establish models integrating ultrasound radiomics with tumor multi-omics characteristics, aiming to provide novel strategies for precision diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. Key questions:(1) How to develop a multimodal imaging model combining CEUS, elastography, and SMI for predicting differentiation of liver cancer, microvascular invasion (MVI) and prognosis; (2) Whether PAI can identify heterogeneous proteins in liver cancer organoids through specific spectral recognition; (3) Whether AI can integrate multi-dimensional data to establish models based on ultrasound radiomics and multi-omics features.
• Age \>18 and ≤70 years;
• Both sexes eligible;
• Diagnosed with primary HCC or ICC;
• Scheduled for surgical resection or conversion therapy;
• Pathologically confirmed HCC/ICC via surgery or biopsy;
• Posterior margin of the lesion ≤ 8 cm from the skin surface.