Purpose or Case Report: 1) To systematically review the uses of AI for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging assessment of primary pediatric cancer and identify common literature topics and knowledge gaps. 2) To assess the adherence of the existing literature to the Checklist for Artificial Intelligence in Medical Imaging (CLAIM) guidelines.
Methods & Materials: A systematic literature search using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases was performed, including studies of >10 subjects with a mean age of <21 years. Relevant data were summarized into three categories based on AI application: detection, characterization, and treatment and monitoring. Readers independently scored each study using CLAIM guidelines, and inter-rater reproducibility was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients.
Results: Twenty-one studies were included. The most common AI application for pediatric cancer MR imaging was pediatric tumor diagnosis and detection (13/21 studies). The most commonly studied tumor was posterior fossa tumors (14/21 studies). Knowledge gaps included a lack of research in AI-driven tumor staging (0/21 studies), imaging genomics (1/21 studies), and tumor segmentation (2/21 studies). Adherence to CLAIM guidelines was moderate in primary studies, with an average (range) of 55% (34%-73%) CLAIM items reported. Adherence has improved over time based on publication year.
Conclusions: The literature surrounding AI applications of MR imaging in pediatric cancers is limited. The existing literature shows moderate adherence to CLAIM guidelines, which likely impedes research translation into clinical practice.