Summary
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1 Sample Definition And Size
The study analyzed hematoxylin & eosin–stained whole slide images (WSIs) from two cohorts of colorectal cancer patients: the DACHS cohort (training set) comprising 1,766 patients (1,774 WSIs) and the GALAXY cohort (external validation) comprising 1,404 patients (1,404 WSIs) ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)).
2 Study Type
This is a retrospective observational study employing a deep learning (transformer-based multiple instance learning) model trained on histopathological images, combined with circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)–based molecular residual disease (MRD) status, to predict disease-free survival and stratify risk in colorectal cancer patients ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)).
3 Conflicts Of Interest
No conflicts of interest are declared in the accessible metadata of the article ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)).
4 Results Summary
In the GALAXY validation cohort, the deep learning (DL) model classified 304 patients as high-risk and 1,100 as low-risk, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.31 (p < 0.005) for disease-free survival ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)). Combining DL risk scores with MRD status improved prognostic stratification: in MRD-positive patients, HR = 1.58 (p < 0.005); in MRD-negative patients, HR = 2.1 (p < 0.005) ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)). Among MRD-negative patients, those classified as DL high-risk benefited from adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) with HR = 0.49 (p = 0.01), whereas DL low-risk patients did not benefit (HR = 0.92; p = 0.64) ([nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-62910-8?utm_source=openai)).