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. 2025 Feb 7;15(2):271-285.
doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-0760.

The Hallmarks of Predictive Oncology

Akshat Singhal  1 , Xiaoyu Zhao  2 , Patrick Wall  3 , Emily So  4 , Guido Calderini  5   6 , Alexander Partin  7 , Natasha Koussa  8 , Priyanka Vasanthakumari  7 , Oleksandr Narykov  7 , Yitan Zhu  7 , Sara E Jones  8 , Farnoosh Abbas-Aghababazadeh  4 , Sisira Kadambat Nair  4 , Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon  5 , Athmeya Jayaram  9 , Barbara A Parker  10 , Kay T Yeung  10 , Jason I Griffiths  11 , Ryan Weil  8 , Aritro Nath  11 , Benjamin Haibe-Kains  4   12   13   14 , Trey Ideker  1   2   3   10
Affiliations

The Hallmarks of Predictive Oncology

Akshat Singhal et al. Cancer Discov. .

Abstract

As the field of artificial intelligence evolves rapidly, these hallmarks are intended to capture fundamental, complementary concepts necessary for the progress and timely adoption of predictive modeling in precision oncology. Through these hallmarks, we hope to establish standards and guidelines that enable the symbiotic development of artificial intelligence and precision oncology.

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Conflict of interest statement

TI is a co-founder, member of the advisory board, and has an equity interest in Data4Cure and Serinus Biosciences. TI is a consultant for and has an equity interest in Ideaya Biosciences. The terms of these arrangements have been reviewed and approved by the University of California San Diego in accordance with its conflict-of-interest policies. B.A.P. has received research support to the institution from Pfizer, Genentech/Roche, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and Oncternal Therapeutics and had received consulting income from Daré Bioscience. K.T.Y received research support to the institution from Dantari, Gilead, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Treadwell Therapeutics, and Zymeworks.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Predictive modeling workflow and development timeline.
A, High-level schematic of the standard pipeline for formulating a modern predictive oncology model. B, Approximate number of predictive oncology models published per year over the time period 2000 – 2023. PubMed query using search string ‘predictive oncology AND (“machine learning” OR “artificial intelligence”)’ with filter: ‘from 2000 – 2023’.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. The seven hallmarks of predictive oncology.
Starting from the top left, in clockwise order the proposed hallmarks are: Data Relevance and Actionability (yellow), Expressive Architecture (blue), Standardized Benchmarking (black), Demonstrated Generalizability (green), Mechanistic Interpretability (orange), Accessibility and Reproducibility (purple) and Fairness (pink), with Ethics underlying each of these hallmarks (yellow ring).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Framework for ensuring fairness of a predictive oncology model.
From left to right are depicted four key aspects of fairness, related to A, training, B, testing, C, interpretation, and D, communication. SDH, Social Determinants of Health; ICD, International Classification of Diseases. Created in BioRender.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Sample model rating and comparison, with self-critique of authors’ own model.
A, Overview of the TCRP model (Transfer of Cellular Response Prediction) approach. Adapted with permission from Ma et al. (134). B, Scorecard for the TCRP model based on the criteria defined for scoring each hallmark.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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