Explanation and Elaboration with Examples for METRICS (METRICS-E3): an initiative from the EuSoMII Radiomics Auditing Group.
Authors
Affiliations (23)
Affiliations (23)
- Department of Radiology, Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. [email protected].
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Translational Research, Academic Radiology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Pediatric Radiology, University Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
- Department of Clinical, Special and Dental Sciences, University Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital "Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria delle Marche", Ancona, Italy.
- Division of Radiology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
- Department of Biomedicine, Neuroscience, and Advanced Diagnostics (Bi.N.D.), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Stereotactic Radiosurgery, Centro Diagnostico Italiano S.p.A., Milan, Italy.
- Departament de Matemàtiques i Informàtica, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
- Computer Vision Center, Bellaterra, Spain.
- Neuroradiology Unit, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milano, Italy.
- Nuclear Medicine Department, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
- Radiomics.bio, Liege, Belgium.
- Department of Radiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Department of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- Artificial Intelligence and Translational Imaging (ATI) Lab, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
- Division of Radiology, Department of Clinical Science Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
- Department of Medical Imaging, University Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Baronissi, Italy.
Abstract
Radiomics research has been hindered by inconsistent and often poor methodological quality, limiting its potential for clinical translation. To address this challenge, the METhodological RadiomICs Score (METRICS) was recently introduced as a tool for systematically assessing study rigor. However, its effective application requires clearer guidance. The METRICS-E3 (Explanation and Elaboration with Examples) resource was developed by the European Society of Medical Imaging Informatics-Radiomics Auditing Group in response. This international initiative provides comprehensive support for users by offering detailed rationales, interpretive guidance, scoring recommendations, and illustrative examples for each METRICS item and condition. Each criterion includes positive examples from peer-reviewed, open-access studies and hypothetical negative examples. In total, the finalized METRICS-E3 includes over 200 examples. The complete resource is publicly available through an interactive website. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: METRICS-E3 offers deeper insights into each METRICS item and condition, providing concrete examples with accompanying commentary and recommendations to enhance the evaluation of methodological quality in radiomics research. KEY POINTS: As a complementary initiative to METRICS, METRICS-E3 is intended to support stakeholders in evaluating the methodological aspects of radiomics studies. In METRICS-E3, each METRICS item and condition is supplemented with interpretive guidance, positive literature-based examples, hypothetical negative examples, and scoring recommendations. The complete METRICS-E3 explanation and elaboration resource is accessible at its interactive website.