Exploring the opinion of Spanish medical specialists about the usefulness of radiomics in oncology

Aim: To describe the knowledge and opinion of health professionals regarding the usefulness of radiomics in oncology. Methods: A 12-question questionnaire (multiple-choice responses, Likert-type scale, and open response) was developed and sent to professionals related to diagnosis/treatment of oncological diseases (Oncology, Radiodiagnosis, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Oncology, Hematology-Oncology, Radiophysics and Pathology). Participants were classified into two groups according to their level of training: attending physicians and residents. Results: 114 professionals completed the survey (54% residents, mostly from Nuclear Medicine and Radiodiagnostic specialties). Attending physicians obtained a better performance in the area pf knowledge compared to residents. Both groups of respondents agreed regarding the usefulness of radiomics to help make more accurate diagnoses and promoting the work of medical teams and the most frequent disadvantages were related to the lack of systematization in the acquisition of images and extraction of parameters, the need for the training of professionals and concern about the replacement of human work by technological tools. Conclusions: Radiomics is a novel field and the most general aspects are known by health professionals. The professionals surveyed were optimistic about the benefits provided by radiomics and other types of tools. The main problem detected was the lack of systematization in its implementation. The replacement of professionals and job loss is a concern, albeit less prevalent, and may respond to a generational phenomenon.