You can search and download public data without logging in to the TCIA Radiology Portal. To access restricted data, however, you must log in first to see that data in your search results.

You can search for image series based on a combination of search filters. Click one or more boxes next to each search filter to select it. As you select search filters, they move to the top of the list. They also appear in Boolean query format above the pie charts. This query specifies the filters you have applied to your search. Click Clear if you want to remove all of your filters at once and start over. You can save your query as a URL for later use or to put in an email to a colleague. For more information about sharing, go to Sharing Data in Your Cart.

  1. From the Access the Data menu at the top, select TCIA Radiology Portal.
    The portal home page appears.
    TCIA Radiology Portal home page showing the Search tab and search filters
  2. Select filters to narrow down the available image series.


Using Search Filters

General Tab

To SelectDo This

Collections

Option 1: Click the box next to the program name to select all of the collections in that program, or click only one dataset in a collection to select it. You can sort the collections alphabetically or numerically (by number of series) by selecting alpha or num at the top.

The number of patients in each program or collection appears after the program or collection name.

List of programs that include multiple collections. A checkbox is next to the program name. Programs are CMB, Community, COVID-19, CPTAC, and FDA.


Hovering over a collection name opens a window with information about the collection in it. Quickly move your mouse to this window, where you can select text and click links. The window stays open until you move your mouse away from it. 


Option 2: Click the magnifying glass to enter a name.
Collections filter highlighting the search box and magnifying glass

Date Released


Enter a From and To date to narrow your search results to studies that TCIA first made available during that date range.

Alternately, select the Apply "Available" date range box to exclude studies that were unavailable to TCIA during the selected date range. Click the Arrow turning in a counter-clockwise direction button to return the dates to the default date range.

Date Released search filter

Analysis Results

Analysis results are derived data (e.g. segmentations) that were contributed by researchers who were not part of the group that originally submitted a collection to TCIA. To enhance the value of TCIA collections, TCIA encourages the research community to publish their analyses of existing TCIA image collections. Examples of this kind of data includes radiologist or pathologist annotations, image classifications, segmentations, radiomics features, or derived/reprocessed images.

Click the box next to each analysis results option you want to select. Only DICOM data from analysis results appear when using this search filter. A full listing of all analysis data inclusive of non-DICOM formats appears in the TCIA Analysis Results

Exclude collections with commercial use restrictions

TCIA supports collections with different types of licenses. Some licenses prohibit the commercial use of the collection. You can filter your search results to exclude those collections that have commercial use restrictions.

Checkbox next to Exclude collections with commercial use restrictions

Identifiers

 To filter by identifier(s), select an identifier type, enter them into the box as a comma-separated list, and then click Apply Identifiers button.

Patients Tab

To SelectDo This

Patient Sex

 Select the patient sex by which you want to filter your search results.

Patient Sex filter with Female, Male, and Not Specified (Null) options

Patient Age

Some datasets encode Patient Age information in the image metadata. This filter allows you to refine search results based on the range of selected patient age range when these metadata are included by the data submitter (e.g. "patient age range"). The max inclusive age is 89 years old. The selection of 90 years old is considered as "90 and older." 

Clinical Time Points

Some datasets encode Clinical Time Point information in the image metadata. This filter allows you to refine search results based on how many days have passed since a particular clinical event occurred when these metadata are included by the data submitter (e.g. "Days since diagnosis"). Clinical Time Points provide temporal context information aligned with events in the clinical data set for each patient. TCIA has inserted information in the DICOM tag (0012,0050) Clinical Trial Time Point ID. This DICOM tag contains the number of days from the date the patient was initially diagnosed pathologically with the disease to the date of the scan. For example, a scan acquired 3 days before the diagnosis would contain the value -3. A follow up scan acquired 90 days after diagnosis would contain the value 90.

Click select to view the types that are available in the database, plus their available date range. In the from and to boxes, enter numbers that correspond to the range of days from and to that time point.

Clinical Time Points filter. Options include two date fields for from and to.

Number of DICOM Studies

A "DICOM Study" is a set of related series that occurred on a given date. This filter allows you to refine Search results to only include Patients with more than a specified number of DICOM studies. The most common use case for this filter is to identify patients who were imaged at more than one time point (at least as many as you've selected). Use the Study Date option for this purpose. This filter allows you to refine Search results to show only studies with a minimum selected number of study UIDs or Dates (time points) that occur on the same date. 

 

Species

Click the box next to the species you want your search results to represent, either human, Mus musculus (mouse), or Canis lupus familiaris (dog). The number of studies

Species filter including the options of Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, and Canis lupus familiaris.

 

Phantoms

Click the box next to the phantom option you want to select.

Phantoms search filter. Options are Only Phantoms, Exclude Phantoms, and Include Phantoms.

Images Tab

To SelectDo This

Image Description

This filter allows you to refine search results to those matching the Series Description, Study Description, and Protocol Name fields. Results include datasets that have one or more of the search terms separated by spaces. The search is case-insensitive.
Example Search: head neck
This search will return results that contain 'head' or 'neck.'

Wildcards can be used for partial word matching.
Example Search: h*d neck
This search will return results that contain 'neck' or any word that resembles 'h' + zero or more characters + 'd.'

Use double quotes to ensure that a multiple word phrase is included.
Example Search: "head neck"
This search only returns results that contain the exact match "head neck" in the description.

Enter words and then click Apply Description button.

Image Description filter with a text box with the heading Contains. Apply Description button.

Image Modality 

Click the box next to one or more image modalities.

If you select more than one image modality, clicking ANY returns any series that have ANY of the modalities you selected. Clicking ALL returns series from subjects that have ALL the modalities you selected.

The numbers following each modality represent the number of studies returned by your search and the total studies available.

The image modalities you select don’t have to be in the same timepoint/study to appear in the search results. The returned studies may only be a subset of those associated with a single subject.

Image modality filter with All and Any radio buttons and a list of modalities including MG, CT, MR, SEG, and CR

Body Part Examined

 Click the box next to each anatomical site you want to select. Click alpha or num to sort the list alphabetically or numerically. Select Not Specified to find data for which the BodyPartExamined field is empty. 

Body Part Examined search filter showing Prostate selected

Manufacturer

The manufacturer of the device used to collect the image.

Manufacturer filter showing a subset of manufacturers

Slice Thickness (millimeter)

Some datasets encode Slice Thickness information in the image metadata. This filter allows you to refine search results based on the range of selected slice thickness when these metadata are included by the data submitter (e.g. "slice thickness").

Set the number slider to the range of slice thickness in millimeters you want to see in studies returned by your search, then click Apply Slice Thickness button.

Slice Thickness (millimeter) filter showing a number slider and the Apply Slice Thickness button


Pixel Spacing (millimeter) - row

Some datasets encode Pixel Spacing information in the image metadata. This filter allows you to refine search results based on the range of selected pixel row spacing when these metadata are included by the data submitter (e.g. "Pixel Spacing").

Set the number slider to the range of pixel spacing in millimeters you want to see in studies returned by your search, then click Apply Pixel Spacing button

Pixel Spacing (millimeter) - Row filter showing a number slider and the Apply Pixel Spacing button

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