Prediction of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Response in Rectal Cancer with Metric Learning Using Pretreatment 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography.

The new ML model presented herein was used to determined that baseline 18F[FDG]-PET/CT images could predict a favorable response to NCRT in patients with rectal cancer. External validation is required to verify the model's predictive value.