Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jul 15, 2026; 18(7): 120437
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.120437
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.120437
Development and clinical application of an ultrasound-based deep learning model for preoperative staging of colorectal cancer
Jing Zhao, Li-Juan Du, Ying Liu, Dan-Dan Zhu, Hui-Qing Wang, Ling-Yue Wang, Hai-Yan Wang, Department of Ultrasound, The Third People’s Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China
Ming-Kui Shen, Department of Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery, The Third People’s Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhao J participated in the study design and wrote the manuscript; Zhao J and Wang HY conducted the design of the study and reviewed/edited the drafts, and is guarantor; Zhao J, Du LJ, Liu Y, Zhu DD, Wang HQ, Shen MK and Wang LY collected and analyzed the data; Zhao J revised the manuscript; and all authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted article.
Supported by the Henan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, No. 252102310334; and the Henan Provincial Charity Federation Daojian Foundation Research Project, No. SZSYKY24009.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of The Third People’s Hospital of Henan Province (approval No. 2026SZSYLCYJ0202).
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was exempted due to the retrospective design of this study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Hai-Yan Wang, MD, Chief Physician, Department of Ultrasound, The Third People’s Hospital of Henan Province, No. 198 Longhai Road, Zhongyuan District, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan Province, China. 18837167006@163.com
Received: February 27, 2026
Revised: April 10, 2026
Accepted: April 24, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 129 Days and 18.5 Hours
Revised: April 10, 2026
Accepted: April 24, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 129 Days and 18.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study proposes an ultrasound-based deep learning model for preoperative tumor node metastasis staging of colorectal cancer (CRC). The model demonstrates strong diagnostic performance for T and N staging and provides clear clinical net benefits, providing an objective artificial intelligence-based tool for accurate preoperative staging of CRC.