An alternative to chemotherapy called immunotherapy shows promise in treating cancer – and a new artificial intelligence tool could help ensure patients have the best possible experience.
Immunotherapy, first approved in 2011, uses a cancer patient’s immune system to target and fight cancer.
Although it doesn’t work for everyone, for the 15-20% who see results, it can save lives.
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Like any medication, immunotherapy can cause unwanted side effects, which can be serious for some.
Studies show that approximately 10 to 15% of patients develop “significant toxicities.”
An alternative to chemotherapy called immunotherapy is showing promise in treating cancer – and a new artificial intelligence tool could help ensure patients have the best possible experience. (iStock)
Chicago-based GE HealthCare – working in tandem with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee – has created an AI model designed to help eliminate some of the uncertainties surrounding immunotherapy.
Over five years of development, the AI model was trained on thousands of patient electronic health records (EHRs) to recognize patterns of response to immunotherapy, focusing on safety and efficiency.
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“The model predicts which patients are likely to benefit from benefit from immunotherapy compared to patients who could not,” said Jan Wolber, global digital products leader within GE HealthCare’s pharmaceutical diagnostics segment, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It also predicts which patients are likely to develop one or more significant toxicities.”
When extracting data from the patient’s health record, the model examines demographic information, imaging studies, pre-existing diagnoses, life habits (like smoking), medication history and more.
Immunotherapy, first approved in 2011, uses a cancer patient’s immune system to target and fight cancer. (iStock)
“All of this data is already collected by the patient’s oncologist, or they fill out a form in the waiting room ahead of time,” said Travis Osterman, a medical oncologist and deputy chief medical information officer at New York Medical Center. Vanderbilt University. in an interview with Fox News Digital.
(Osterman works with Wolber on the development of you have a model.)
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“We’re not asking for additional blood samples or complex imaging. These are all data points that we already collect: vital signs, diagnostics, lab values, that sort of thing.”
In one study, the AI model showed 70% to 80% accuracy in predicting patient responses to immunotherapies, according to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Clinical Cancer…
