Noninvasive Prediction of Occult Peritoneal Metastasis in Gastric Cancer Using Deep Learning

Key Points Question Can occult peritoneal metastasis be accurately assessed before surgery and without any invasive intervention? Findings In this cohort study of 1978 patients, a deep neural network, the Peritoneal Metastasis Network, was developed for predicting occult peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer based on preoperative computed tomography images. The model had excellent discrimination in external validation and substantially outperformed clinical factors. Meaning The proposed deep learning model may be useful in preoperative treatment decision-making for avoiding unnecessary surgery and complications in certain patients.