Fig. 2

Illustration of the CT texture parameters and histopathologic features of PGCs. a CT image based on the arterial phase shows a mass lesion in the cardia. b Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of the postoperative specimen, which was pathologically diagnosed with PGC (original magnification, × 20). c A pathological illustration of PGC. The illustration shows that PGC is characterized by gastric adenocarcinoma with papillary epithelium featuring the central fibrovascular core with relatively larger gap within its tissue structures (asterisk). d, e Boxplot graphics show the concentration and dispersion distributions of mean and Entropy GLCM 13 based on the arterial phase CT images of the PGCs and TACs. The mean values in PGCs were significantly lower than those in TACs. This may be because PGCs composed of elongated finger-like processes have relatively larger gaps within their tissue structures and thus exhibit lower enhancement than TACs. The values of Entropy GLCM 13 in PGCs were significantly lower than those in TACs. This may be because PGCs are composed of finger-like protuberant structures with central fiber vascular bundles as the core, and tumors may be less prone to ischemic necrosis with a relatively adequate distal blood supply