Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions

Hui-Yao Huang; Le Wang; Sheng Xu; Shuo-Peng Jia; Dan-Dan Kong; Xue-Jing Zhang; Si-Qi Wang; Han-Qing He; Hao-Ran Chen; Lu-Zhu Xia; Lan-Wei Guo; Yu Tang; Ling-Bin Du; Ning Li

doi:10.1186/s40779-026-00685-9

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Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions

PERSPECTIVE | Updated：2026-03-06

- Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions
- “Target trial emulation (TTE) has shown promise in enhancing causal inference from observational data. A recent study identified 90 TTE studies in cancer areas, revealing that registry databases and overall survival were commonly used. However, challenges such as immortal time bias and prevalent user bias were prevalent. Only 42.9% of trials calibrated with RCTs met both statistical and estimate agreement. The study highlights the need for fit-for-purpose data sources and regulatory acceptance to expand the use of real-world data in oncology.”
- Military Medical Research Vol. 12, (2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Clinical Trials Center, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China
  2.Department of Cancer Prevention, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310022, China
  3.Global Statistics and Data Science, BeiGene, Shanghai 200001, China
  4.School of Statistics, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China
  5.School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China
  6.Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
  7.Department of Clinical Research Management, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University & Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou 450008, China
- Author bio：
  
  * Ning Li ncctrials@cicams.ac.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1186/s40779-026-00685-9
  CLC：
- Received：13 July 2025，
  
  Accepted：28 January 2026，
  
  Online First：24 February 2026，
  
  Published：2025
- Accepted：
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Hui-Yao Huang, Le Wang, Sheng Xu, et al. Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions[J/OL]. Military Medical Research, 2025, 12.
DOI：

Hui-Yao Huang, Le Wang, Sheng Xu, et al. Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions[J/OL]. Military Medical Research, 2025, 12. DOI： 10.1186/s40779-026-00685-9.

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Target trial emulation in oncology: current use and future directions

DOI：10.1186/s40779-026-00685-9