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Automated Machine Learning Frameworks for Radiomics: Comparative Evaluation Study
Jose Lozano-Montoya1,2, Emilio Soria-Olivas3, Almudena Fuster-Matanzo2
1Universitat de València, Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Background:
Automated machine learning (AutoML) frameworks can lower technical barriers for predictive and prognostic model development in radiomics by enabling researchers without programming expertise to build models. However, their effectiveness in addressing radiomics-specific challenges remains unclear.
Objective:
This study aimed to evaluate the performance, efficiency, and accessibility of general-purpose and radiomics-specific AutoML frameworks on diverse radiomics classification tasks, thereby guiding researchers and highlighting development needs for radiomics.
Methods:
A total of 10 public and private radiomics datasets with varied imaging modalities (computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging), sizes, anatomies, and end points were used. Six general-purpose and 5 radiomics-specific frameworks were tested with predefined parameters using standardized cross-validation. Evaluation metrics included area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, runtime, and qualitative aspects related to software status, accessibility, and interpretability.
Results:
Simplatab, a radiomics-specific tool with a no-code interface, achieved the best overall balance between performance and computational efficiency, recording the highest average test area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (mean 78.46%, SD 12.22%) with a moderate runtime (1.1 h). However, its performance was not statistically superior to the most intensive general-purpose solutions. Most radiomics-specific frameworks were excluded from the performance analysis due to obsolescence, extensive programming requirements, or computational inefficiency. Conversely, general-purpose frameworks demonstrated higher accessibility and ease of implementation.
Conclusions:
While no single framework demonstrated absolute predictive superiority, Simplatab provides an effective balance of performance, efficiency, and accessibility for radiomics classification problems. However, continued efforts are needed to further mature AutoML solutions in the radiomics domain.