Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology

In clinical practice, a variety of techniques are employed to generate diverse data types for each cancer patient. These data types, spanning clinical, genomics, imaging, and other modalities, exhibit significant differences and possess distinct data structures. Therefore, most current analyses focu...

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Main Authors: Baoyi Zhang, Zhuoya Wan, Yige Luo, Xi Zhao, Josue Samayoa, Weilong Zhao, Si Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Pharmacology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1609079/full
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author Baoyi Zhang
Zhuoya Wan
Yige Luo
Xi Zhao
Josue Samayoa
Weilong Zhao
Si Wu
author_facet Baoyi Zhang
Zhuoya Wan
Yige Luo
Xi Zhao
Josue Samayoa
Weilong Zhao
Si Wu
author_sort Baoyi Zhang
collection DOAJ
description In clinical practice, a variety of techniques are employed to generate diverse data types for each cancer patient. These data types, spanning clinical, genomics, imaging, and other modalities, exhibit significant differences and possess distinct data structures. Therefore, most current analyses focus on a single data modality, limiting the potential of fully utilizing all available data and providing comprehensive insights. Artificial intelligence (AI) methods, adept at handling complex data structures, offer a powerful approach to efficiently integrate multimodal data. The insights derived from such models may ultimately expedite advancements in patient diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment responses. Here, we provide an overview of current advanced multimodal integration strategies and the related clinical potential in oncology field. We start from the key processing methods for single data modalities such as multi-omics, imaging data, and clinical notes. We then include diverse AI methods, covering traditional machine learning, representation learning, and vision language model, tailored to each distinct data modality. We further elaborate on popular multimodal integration strategies and discuss the related strength and weakness. Finally, we explore potential clinical applications including early detection/diagnosis, biomarker discovery, and prediction of clinical outcome. Additionally, we discuss ongoing challenges and outline potential future directions in the field.
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spelling doaj-art-753e39c1f38b47db8fb23d151cd824ed2025-08-20T05:32:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pharmacology1663-98122025-08-011610.3389/fphar.2025.16090791609079Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncologyBaoyi Zhang0Zhuoya Wan1Yige Luo2Xi Zhao3Josue Samayoa4Weilong Zhao5Si Wu6AbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesAbbVie, Inc., North Chicago, IL, United StatesAbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesAbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesAbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesAbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesAbbVie Bay Area, South San Francisco, CA, United StatesIn clinical practice, a variety of techniques are employed to generate diverse data types for each cancer patient. These data types, spanning clinical, genomics, imaging, and other modalities, exhibit significant differences and possess distinct data structures. Therefore, most current analyses focus on a single data modality, limiting the potential of fully utilizing all available data and providing comprehensive insights. Artificial intelligence (AI) methods, adept at handling complex data structures, offer a powerful approach to efficiently integrate multimodal data. The insights derived from such models may ultimately expedite advancements in patient diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment responses. Here, we provide an overview of current advanced multimodal integration strategies and the related clinical potential in oncology field. We start from the key processing methods for single data modalities such as multi-omics, imaging data, and clinical notes. We then include diverse AI methods, covering traditional machine learning, representation learning, and vision language model, tailored to each distinct data modality. We further elaborate on popular multimodal integration strategies and discuss the related strength and weakness. Finally, we explore potential clinical applications including early detection/diagnosis, biomarker discovery, and prediction of clinical outcome. Additionally, we discuss ongoing challenges and outline potential future directions in the field.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1609079/fulldeep learningmultimodal integrationoncologyprognosisbiomarkertreatment response
spellingShingle Baoyi Zhang
Zhuoya Wan
Yige Luo
Xi Zhao
Josue Samayoa
Weilong Zhao
Si Wu
Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
Frontiers in Pharmacology
deep learning
multimodal integration
oncology
prognosis
biomarker
treatment response
title Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
title_full Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
title_fullStr Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
title_full_unstemmed Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
title_short Multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
title_sort multimodal integration strategies for clinical application in oncology
topic deep learning
multimodal integration
oncology
prognosis
biomarker
treatment response
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2025.1609079/full
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AT zhuoyawan multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology
AT yigeluo multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology
AT xizhao multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology
AT josuesamayoa multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology
AT weilongzhao multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology
AT siwu multimodalintegrationstrategiesforclinicalapplicationinoncology