Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42575840›Full record

ArticleUrologic oncology2026

Development and validation of a computational histology artificial intelligence-powered prognostic biomarker in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Yair Lotan, Vitaly Margulis, Solomon Woldu, Derek Allison, Joon Kyung Kim, Laura Bukavina, Sam S Chang, Vrishab Krishna, Gaurav Kaul, Akshay Neema and 7 more

Abstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in Urologic oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Yair LotanDepartment of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Vitaly MargulisDepartment of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Solomon WolduDepartment of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Derek AllisonDepartment of Pathology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
Joon Kyung KimDepartment of Urology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
Laura BukavinaDepartment of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH.
Sam S ChangDepartment of Urology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Vrishab KrishnaValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Gaurav KaulValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Akshay NeemaValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Haochen ZhangValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Trevor J RoyceValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. Electronic address: trevor.royce@mail.harvard.edu.
Viswesh KrishnaValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Anirudh JoshiValar Labs, Palo Alto, CA.
Ashish M KamatDepartment of Urology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Roger LiUrology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL.
Patrick J HensleyDepartment of Urology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.

Funding

Tumor Evolution and Metastasis ProgramP30CA016672 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI DIANE BODURKA · 1985 to 2026
$290.8M
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Support Grant ECIA SupplementP30CA177558 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · PI Jennifer F Rogers · 2013 to 2026
$38.3M
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016672NCI NIH HHS P30 CA177558
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) have heterogeneous outcomes following transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). We used a computational histopathology artificial intelligence (CHAI)-based platform to develop and validate a digital image-only MIBC prognostic biomarker.

methodsThe CHAI platform extracts histologic features from pre-treatment TURBT specimen H&E-stained whole slide images. The Cancer Genome Atlas was used for development to construct a signature of features associated with the primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival (RFS). A continuous risk score was dichotomized into favorable and unfavorable groups. For validation, the performance of the locked model was then assessed in an independent, held-out, retrospective, pooled real-world data cohort of patients from NCI-Designated Cancer Centers with cT2N0M0 urothelial carcinoma who underwent radical cystectomy with/without neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

resultsA total of 178 patients were included: 44 in development and 134 in validation, of whom 50% received NAC. In validation, those classified as unfavorable risk by the CHAI biomarker (N = 67) had worse RFS (HR 3.1 [1.7-5.7], P < 0.001), cancer-specific survival (CSS) (3.5 [1.5-7.8], P = 0.003), and overall survival (OS) (3.0, [1.5-5.7], P = 0.001) vs. favorable risk (N = 67). Three-year RFS was 40% vs. 74% for disease classified as unfavorable and favorable risk, respectively (P < 0.001). After adjusting for prognostic clinical variables, including receipt of NAC, the biomarker remained associated with RFS, CSS, and OS (P < 0.01). Exploratory analysis found a significant interaction between the biomarker and NAC for RFS (P = 0.02).

conclusionsWe developed and validated an image-only AI-based biomarker from pre-treatment H&E TURBT specimens associated with clinical outcomes in cT2 MIBC. While future development and validation work is warranted, these hypothesis-generating retrospective findings support the potential of this approach to advancing precision medicine in MIBC.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceBiomarkers, TumorUrinary Bladder NeoplasmsAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm InvasivenessPrognosisRetrospective StudiesTransurethral Resection of BladderBiomarkers, TumorArtificial intelligenceBiomarkerMuscle-invasive bladder cancerOncologyUrothelial carcinoma

Identifiers

PMID42575840
PMCPMC13527431

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.