Diagnostics in Oncology Research

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Diagnosis and Prognosis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 14 March 2026 | Viewed by 629

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
Interests: cancer; health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, necessitating advancements in early detection, accurate diagnosis, and personalized treatment strategies. The field of oncology diagnostics has witnessed rapid progress due to innovations in molecular biology, imaging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and liquid biopsy techniques. This special issue, entitled "Diagnostics in Oncology Research", aims to compile cutting-edge research and reviews on novel diagnostic approaches that enhance cancer detection, prognosis, and therapeutic decision-making.

Objectives and Scope

We are pleased to invite you the articles that will focus on recent advancements in oncology diagnostics, covering technological innovations, biomarker discovery, computational approaches, and clinical applications. The special issue aims to include research articles, reviews, case reports, and perspectives on topics including, but not limited to:

  • Molecular Diagnostics:
    • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and genomic profiling
    • Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and liquid biopsies
    • Epigenetic and transcriptomic biomarkers
  • Imaging and Radiomics:
    • AI-driven radiology and pathology
    • PET/CT, MRI, and novel imaging modalities
    • Radiogenomics and tumor heterogeneity analysis
  • Biomarkers and Histopathology in early detection 
  • tissue-based diagnostics, and innovative histopathological techniques that enhance early cancer detection
  • novel immunohistochemical markers, liquid biopsy-derived biomarkers, AI-driven digital pathology, and multi-omics approaches that refine diagnostic accuracy
  • Point-of-Care and Non-Invasive Diagnostics:
    • Microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies
    • Exosome-based diagnostics
    • Early detection via blood-based biomarkers
  • Computational and AI-Driven Approaches:
    • Machine learning for cancer diagnosis and classification
    • Predictive modeling for treatment response
    • Digital pathology and automated image analysis
  • Clinical Translation and Challenges:
    • Regulatory and ethical considerations
    • Integration of diagnostics into precision oncology

Prof. Dr. Riffat Mehboob
Guest Editor

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • oncology diagnostics
  • cancer detection
  • precision medicine
  • tumor biomarkers
  • digital pathology
  • artificial intelligence in oncology
  • epigenetic biomarkers
  • immunohistochemical biomarkers
  • predictive modeling
  • genomic profiling
  • transcriptome signature
  • PET/CT and MRI diagnostics
  • machine learning for cancer diagnostics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 2039 KB  
Article
Optimising Multimodal Image Registration Techniques: A Comprehensive Study of Non-Rigid and Affine Methods for PET/CT Integration
by Babar Ali, Mansour M. Alqahtani, Essam M. Alkhybari, Ali H. D. Alshehri, Mohammad Sayed and Tamoor Ali
Diagnostics 2025, 15(19), 2484; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics15192484 - 28 Sep 2025
Viewed by 346
Abstract
Background/Objective: Multimodal image registration plays a critical role in modern medical imaging, enabling the integration of complementary modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT). This study compares the performance of three widely used image registration techniques—Demons Image Registration [...] Read more.
Background/Objective: Multimodal image registration plays a critical role in modern medical imaging, enabling the integration of complementary modalities such as positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT). This study compares the performance of three widely used image registration techniques—Demons Image Registration with Modality Transformation, Free-Form Deformation using the Medical Image Registration Toolbox (MIRT), and MATLAB Intensity-Based Registration—in terms of improving PET/CT image alignment. Methods: A total of 100 matched PET/CT image slices from a clinical scanner were analysed. Preprocessing techniques, including histogram equalisation and contrast enhancement (via imadjust and adapthisteq), were applied to minimise intensity discrepancies. Each registration method was evaluated under varying parameter conditions with regard to sigma fluid (range 4–8), histogram bins (100 to 256), and interpolation methods (linear and cubic). Performance was assessed using quantitative metrics: root mean square error (RMSE), mean squared error (MSE), mean absolute error (MAE), the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC), and standard deviation (STD). Results: Demons registration achieved optimal performance at a sigma fluid value of 6, with an RMSE of 0.1529, and demonstrated superior computational efficiency. The MIRT showed better adaptability to complex anatomical deformations, with an RMSE of 0.1725. MATLAB Intensity-Based Registration, when combined with contrast enhancement, yielded the highest accuracy (RMSE = 0.1317 at alpha = 6). Preprocessing improved registration accuracy, reducing the RMSE by up to 16%. Conclusions: Each registration technique has distinct advantages: the Demons algorithm is ideal for time-sensitive tasks, the MIRT is suited to precision-driven applications, and MATLAB-based methods offer flexible processing for large datasets. This study provides a foundational framework for optimising PET/CT image registration in both research and clinical environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics in Oncology Research)
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