Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41188901›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2025

Temporal evolution of large language models (LLMs) in oncology.

Zilin Qiu, Aimin Jiang, Chang Qi, Wenyi Gan, Lingxuan Zhu, Weiming Mou, Dongqiang Zeng, Mingjia Xiao, Guangdi Chu, Shengkun Peng and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. AI-Powered Clinical Decision Support in Dentistry: Comparative Evaluation of Large Language Models for Oral Medicine and Periodontal Diagnosis.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
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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

20 authors.

Zilin Qiu *Department of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Donghai County People's Hospital (Affiliated Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University), Lianyungang, 222000, China.
Aimin Jiang *Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China.
Chang QiThe University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Wenyi GanDepartment of Joint Surgery and Sports Medicine, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Guangdong, China.
Lingxuan ZhuDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510282, China.
Weiming MouDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510282, China.
Dongqiang ZengDepartment of Oncology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
Mingjia XiaoHepatobiliary Surgery Department, Quzhou Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Quzhou People's Hospital, Quzhou, China.
Guangdi ChuDepartment of Urology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Shengkun PengDepartment of Radiology, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610072, China.
Hank Z H WongLi Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Lin ZhangThe School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.
Hengguo ZhangCollege & Hospital of Stomatology, Anhui Medical University, Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases Research of Anhui Province, Hefei, 230032, China.
Xinpei DengDepartment of Urology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Guangzhou, 510060, China.
Quan ChengDepartment of Neurosurgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Bufu TangDepartment of Interventional Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Yaxuan WangDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150001, China.
Jian ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510282, China. zhangjian@i.smu.edu.cn.
Anqi LinDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Donghai County People's Hospital (Affiliated Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University), Lianyungang, 222000, China. smulinanqi0206@i.smu.edu.cn.
Peng LuoDepartment of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Donghai County People's Hospital (Affiliated Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University), Lianyungang, 222000, China. luopeng@smu.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-8215-2045

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundLarge language models (LLMs) are increasingly being applied in healthcare; however, their performance in specialized fields, such as oncology, is subject to temporal factors, including knowledge decay and concept drift. The impact of these temporal dynamics on LLM question-answering accuracy in oncology remains inadequately evaluated. This study aims to systematically assess the temporal evolution of LLM accuracy in responding to oncology-related questions using real-world data.

methodWe systematically collected relevant literature through 2025 by searching LLM-related keywords in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) cancer-related research; (2) clear and complete question descriptions; and (3) complete answers. The final sample (n = 23) contained 614 research questions, comprising subjective questions (n = 223) and multiple-choice questions (n = 391). Following randomization of responses generated by three LLMs (ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, and Gemini), we evaluated their accuracy across different cancer categories using both original scoring criteria and Likert scale scoring methods. Data analysis was performed using R statistical software, employing random or fixed effects models to calculate pooled mean differences (MD) and relative risks (RR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI).

resultsThe findings demonstrated that in both subjective and objective oncology assessments, ChatGPT-3.5 (subjective questions MD = -3.30; objective questions RR = 0.92) and ChatGPT-4 (subjective questions MD = -7.17; objective questions RR = 0.93) showed declining performance trends over time, while Gemini exhibited significant improvements over time (subjective questions MD = 11.48; objective questions RR = 1.15). Notably, ChatGPT-3.5's performance on subjective questions revealed a significant turning point between March 14, 2023, and April 26, 2023, shifting from initially superior performance on newer questions to inferior performance compared with original questions, with the performance gap progressively widening.

conclusionsOur meta-analysis reveals temporal performance degradation in ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4, which contrasts with the consistent improvement observed in Gemini. These findings provide essential guidance for the evidence-based deployment of LLMs in oncology.

Indexed as

LanguageMedical OncologyModels, TheoreticalHumansLarge Language ModelsNeoplasmsTime FactorsLarge language modelsMeta-analysisOncologyPerformance evaluationTemporal analysis

Identifiers

PMID41188901
PMCPMC12584546

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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 OpenQuestion graph.