Cancer Chemotherapy: AI Can Predict Efficacy of Chemo Treatment

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created an AI tool for breast cancer research. The tool can forecast if breast cancer patients can recover through chemotherapy. In fact, the engineers behind the AI tool affirmed that it would aid in candidate selection. Patients will be able to know if they qualify for chemotherapy or not. The tool will also enhance the surgical results for eligible patients.

Dr Alexander Wong, the leader of Cancer-Net, stated that identifying the appropriate therapy for breast cancer patients is challenging. The initiative, part of the open-source Cancer-Net initiative, is critical in preventing patients from experiencing unwanted adverse effects from ineffective treatments.

Doctors can prescribe personalized treatment to enhance a patient’s recovery and survival with the assistance of an AI system. The system can indicate if a patient will respond favourably to a specific therapy, providing physicians with the necessary tool.

The AI was programmed using synthetic correlated diffusion imaging (CDI), a novel magnetic resonance technique developed by Wong’s team. The system analyzed CDI images and data from previous cases of breast cancer to predict the efficacy of pre-operative chemotherapy for patients according to their images.

Result of The Research

The researchers achieved a prediction accuracy of 87.75%, surpassing the next-best gold-standard MRI by over 3%. Wong expressed optimism about the technology. He stated that the AI has the capability to identify patterns related to a patient’s suitability for a specific treatment.

Presently, breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer, topping lung cancer. One in eight cancer diagnoses involves breast cancer. In 2020, the World Health Organization recorded 2.3 million breast cancer cases and 685,000 deaths worldwide. According to Cancer Australia, more than 20,000 new breast cancer cases were reported in 2022, resulting in approximately 3,000 deaths. As a result, there have been significant efforts to improve early detection and treatment of breast cancer, with AI playing a crucial role.

Featured image was gotten from Indiatimes.com