Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans

Received: 11 February 2025     Accepted: 20 February 2025     Published: 21 March 2025
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Abstract

Background: CT examinations are commonly utilized for the diagnosis of internal diseases. The X-rays emitted during CT scans can elevate the risks of developing solid cancers by causing DNA damage. The risk of CT scan-induced solid cancers is intricately linked to the organ doses specific to each patient. The Support Vector Regression (SVR) algorithm exhibits the capability to swiftly and accurately predict organ doses. Kernel functions, including linear, polynomial, and radial basis (RBF) functions, play a crucial role in the overall performance of SVR when predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the influence of kernel selection on the comprehensive predictive effectiveness of SVR. Purpose: This study investigates the impact of kernel functions on the predictive performance of SVR models trained by radiomics features, and to pinpoint the optimal kernel function for predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Methods: CT images from head and abdominal CT scans were processed using DeepViewer, an auto-segmentation tool for defining regions of interest (ROIs) within their organs. Radiomics features were extracted from the CT data and ROIs. Benchmark organ doses were calculated through Monte Carlo simulations. SVR models, utilizing the radiomics features, were trained with linear-, polynomial-, and RBF kernels to predict patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. The robustness of the SVR prediction was examined by applying 25 random sample splits with each kernel. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared among the kernels to identify the optimal kernel. Results: The linear kernel obtains better overall predictive performance than the polynomial and RBF kernels. The SVR trained with the linear kernel function achieves lower MAPE values, below 5% for head organs and under 6.8% for abdominal organs. Furthermore, it shows higher R2 values exceeding 0.85 for head organs and going beyond 0.8 for abdominal organs. Conclusions: Kernel selection severely impact the overall performance of SVR models. The optimal kernel varies with CT scanned parts and organ types indicating the necessity to conduct organ-specific kernel selection.

Published in Radiation Science and Technology (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11
Page(s) 1-11
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

CT, Organ Dose, SVR, Radiomics Features, Kernel Function

References
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  • APA Style

    Shao, W., Lin, X., Hunag, Y., Qu, L., Zhuo, W., et al. (2025). Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans. Radiation Science and Technology, 11(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11

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    ACS Style

    Shao, W.; Lin, X.; Hunag, Y.; Qu, L.; Zhuo, W., et al. Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans. Radiat. Sci. Technol. 2025, 11(1), 1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11

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    AMA Style

    Shao W, Lin X, Hunag Y, Qu L, Zhuo W, et al. Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans. Radiat Sci Technol. 2025;11(1):1-11. doi: 10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11,
      author = {Wencheng Shao and Xin Lin and Ying Hunag and Liangyong Qu and Weihai Zhuo and Haikuan Liu},
      title = {Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans
    },
      journal = {Radiation Science and Technology},
      volume = {11},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-11},
      doi = {10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.rst.20251101.11},
      abstract = {Background: CT examinations are commonly utilized for the diagnosis of internal diseases. The X-rays emitted during CT scans can elevate the risks of developing solid cancers by causing DNA damage. The risk of CT scan-induced solid cancers is intricately linked to the organ doses specific to each patient. The Support Vector Regression (SVR) algorithm exhibits the capability to swiftly and accurately predict organ doses. Kernel functions, including linear, polynomial, and radial basis (RBF) functions, play a crucial role in the overall performance of SVR when predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the influence of kernel selection on the comprehensive predictive effectiveness of SVR. Purpose: This study investigates the impact of kernel functions on the predictive performance of SVR models trained by radiomics features, and to pinpoint the optimal kernel function for predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Methods: CT images from head and abdominal CT scans were processed using DeepViewer, an auto-segmentation tool for defining regions of interest (ROIs) within their organs. Radiomics features were extracted from the CT data and ROIs. Benchmark organ doses were calculated through Monte Carlo simulations. SVR models, utilizing the radiomics features, were trained with linear-, polynomial-, and RBF kernels to predict patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. The robustness of the SVR prediction was examined by applying 25 random sample splits with each kernel. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared among the kernels to identify the optimal kernel. Results: The linear kernel obtains better overall predictive performance than the polynomial and RBF kernels. The SVR trained with the linear kernel function achieves lower MAPE values, below 5% for head organs and under 6.8% for abdominal organs. Furthermore, it shows higher R2 values exceeding 0.85 for head organs and going beyond 0.8 for abdominal organs. Conclusions: Kernel selection severely impact the overall performance of SVR models. The optimal kernel varies with CT scanned parts and organ types indicating the necessity to conduct organ-specific kernel selection.
    },
     year = {2025}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Effect of Kernel Functions on the Performance of Support Vector Regression Algorithm in Predicting Patient-Specific Organ Doses from CT Scans
    
    AU  - Wencheng Shao
    AU  - Xin Lin
    AU  - Ying Hunag
    AU  - Liangyong Qu
    AU  - Weihai Zhuo
    AU  - Haikuan Liu
    Y1  - 2025/03/21
    PY  - 2025
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11
    T2  - Radiation Science and Technology
    JF  - Radiation Science and Technology
    JO  - Radiation Science and Technology
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 11
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2575-5943
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.rst.20251101.11
    AB  - Background: CT examinations are commonly utilized for the diagnosis of internal diseases. The X-rays emitted during CT scans can elevate the risks of developing solid cancers by causing DNA damage. The risk of CT scan-induced solid cancers is intricately linked to the organ doses specific to each patient. The Support Vector Regression (SVR) algorithm exhibits the capability to swiftly and accurately predict organ doses. Kernel functions, including linear, polynomial, and radial basis (RBF) functions, play a crucial role in the overall performance of SVR when predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the influence of kernel selection on the comprehensive predictive effectiveness of SVR. Purpose: This study investigates the impact of kernel functions on the predictive performance of SVR models trained by radiomics features, and to pinpoint the optimal kernel function for predicting patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. Methods: CT images from head and abdominal CT scans were processed using DeepViewer, an auto-segmentation tool for defining regions of interest (ROIs) within their organs. Radiomics features were extracted from the CT data and ROIs. Benchmark organ doses were calculated through Monte Carlo simulations. SVR models, utilizing the radiomics features, were trained with linear-, polynomial-, and RBF kernels to predict patient-specific organ doses from CT scans. The robustness of the SVR prediction was examined by applying 25 random sample splits with each kernel. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and coefficient of determination (R2) were compared among the kernels to identify the optimal kernel. Results: The linear kernel obtains better overall predictive performance than the polynomial and RBF kernels. The SVR trained with the linear kernel function achieves lower MAPE values, below 5% for head organs and under 6.8% for abdominal organs. Furthermore, it shows higher R2 values exceeding 0.85 for head organs and going beyond 0.8 for abdominal organs. Conclusions: Kernel selection severely impact the overall performance of SVR models. The optimal kernel varies with CT scanned parts and organ types indicating the necessity to conduct organ-specific kernel selection.
    
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Radiation Physics, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China

  • Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

  • Department of Nuclear Science and Technology, Institute of Modern Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

  • Department of Radiology, Shanghai Zhongye Hospital, Shanghai, China

  • Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

  • Institute of Radiation Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

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