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Main Authors: Wang, Yu, Ahn, Kwang Woo, Kerns, Sarah L., Hall, William, Seibold, Petra, Talbot, Christopher J., Vega, Ana, Rosenstein, Barry S., Usmani, Nawaid, West, Catharine M. L., Veldeman, Liv, Auer, Paul L., Chen, Zhongyuan
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.01625
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author Wang, Yu
Ahn, Kwang Woo
Kerns, Sarah L.
Hall, William
Seibold, Petra
Talbot, Christopher J.
Vega, Ana
Rosenstein, Barry S.
Usmani, Nawaid
West, Catharine M. L.
Veldeman, Liv
Auer, Paul L.
Chen, Zhongyuan
author_facet Wang, Yu
Ahn, Kwang Woo
Kerns, Sarah L.
Hall, William
Seibold, Petra
Talbot, Christopher J.
Vega, Ana
Rosenstein, Barry S.
Usmani, Nawaid
West, Catharine M. L.
Veldeman, Liv
Auer, Paul L.
Chen, Zhongyuan
contents Statistical methods for testing aggregate rare-variant genetic associations are typically based on either burden or dispersion tests (or a combination of the two). These methods lack statistical power in the presence of diverse genetic architectures. Moreover, few aggregate rare-variant association methods have been developed specifically for survival data. To address these issues, we propose data-adaptive gene- and pathway-based association tests based on Schoenfeld residuals in Cox proportional hazards models for association studies between an aggregate of rare-variants and survival outcomes. Our methods improve statistical power while maintaining flexibility across various genetic effect sizes and directions. We develop an efficient R package that enables fast computation and supports data simulation as well as gene- and pathway-level testing. Applying our approach to late bladder toxicity following radiotherapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer, we identify biologically relevant genes and pathways, replicate known signals, and capture additional associations. Our method provides a powerful, adaptive framework for survival-based genetic association studies of rare-variants. Keywords: aSPU, time-to-event outcomes, rare-variant associations, Cox regression, Schoenfeld residuals
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_01625
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Data-adaptive gene and pathway-based tests forrare-variant associations with survival outcomes
Wang, Yu
Ahn, Kwang Woo
Kerns, Sarah L.
Hall, William
Seibold, Petra
Talbot, Christopher J.
Vega, Ana
Rosenstein, Barry S.
Usmani, Nawaid
West, Catharine M. L.
Veldeman, Liv
Auer, Paul L.
Chen, Zhongyuan
Methodology
Statistical methods for testing aggregate rare-variant genetic associations are typically based on either burden or dispersion tests (or a combination of the two). These methods lack statistical power in the presence of diverse genetic architectures. Moreover, few aggregate rare-variant association methods have been developed specifically for survival data. To address these issues, we propose data-adaptive gene- and pathway-based association tests based on Schoenfeld residuals in Cox proportional hazards models for association studies between an aggregate of rare-variants and survival outcomes. Our methods improve statistical power while maintaining flexibility across various genetic effect sizes and directions. We develop an efficient R package that enables fast computation and supports data simulation as well as gene- and pathway-level testing. Applying our approach to late bladder toxicity following radiotherapy for non-metastatic prostate cancer, we identify biologically relevant genes and pathways, replicate known signals, and capture additional associations. Our method provides a powerful, adaptive framework for survival-based genetic association studies of rare-variants. Keywords: aSPU, time-to-event outcomes, rare-variant associations, Cox regression, Schoenfeld residuals
title Data-adaptive gene and pathway-based tests forrare-variant associations with survival outcomes
topic Methodology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.01625