Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42545470›Full record

SynthesisWorld journal of urology2026

Artificial intelligence in the radiologic diagnosis of major urological cancers: a meta-analysis.

Yi Shen, Lei Peng, Lijian Gan, Song Wu

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in World journal of urology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

4 authors.

Yi Shen *Department of Experiment & Research, Medical School, South China Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518116, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7725-8611
Lei Peng *Department of Urology, Medical School, South China Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518116, China.
Lijian Gan *Department of Urology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University, 8 Gong Ti Nan Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100020, China.
Song WuDepartment of Urology, Medical School, South China Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518116, China. wusong@szu.edu.cn.

Funding

Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen SZSM202211009
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveGiven the pivotal role of imaging in diagnosing urological cancers, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a promising tool to improve diagnostic accuracy and reliability. This study systematically evaluates the diagnostic performance of AI models in radiologic imaging of urological cancers.

methodsA systematic search was conducted in four electronic databases up to June 2026 to identify studies that applied AI algorithms for the diagnosis of urological cancers using CT, MRI, or ultrasound. Eligible studies reported diagnostic accuracy metrics for AI models, with clinician comparator data extracted when available. A bivariate random-effects model was used to pool sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine diagnostic performance across different cancer types and imaging modalities, and to explore potential sources of heterogeneity. Study quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool.

resultsA total of 110 studies were included in the meta-analysis. AI models achieved pooled sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 (95% CI: 0.83-0.87) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80-0.86), with an AUC of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.88-0.93). Clinicians demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.79-0.85) and specificity of 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62-0.73), with an AUC of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80-0.86). Subgroup analyses indicated that AI models showed overall diagnostic advantages across cancer types and imaging modalities, particularly in specificity, AUC, and diagnostic odds ratios, although clinicians demonstrated higher sensitivity in the prostate cancer and MRI subgroups.

conclusionAI models demonstrate strong diagnostic performance across various urological cancers and imaging modalities, showing potential as supportive tools in radiological workflows. Further prospective, standardized, and multi-center evaluations are warranted to confirm AI's clinical utility across diverse diagnostic tasks in urological oncology.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceUrologic NeoplasmsHumansSensitivity and SpecificityArtificial intelligenceRadiologic diagnosisUrological cancers

Identifiers

PMID42545470

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.