AI to predict radiotherapy side-effects

Tuesday November 7th, 2017

A “big data” project is seeking to build a model that can predict the risk of side-effects from radiotherapy for prostate cancer, a conference will be told today.

Researchers say they are using state of the art artificial intelligence to analyse information from more than 700 men.

Details of the project are being reported to the National Cancer Research Institute conference in Liverpool, UK, today.

Among insights from the analysis, it has shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms can predict the risk of rectal bleeding arising from treatment.

Researcher Dr Navita Somaiah, from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “We hope that our method can be used to personalise radiotherapy for patients based on this risk, improving the chances of a cure and also minimising the side effects suffered.

“Advances in technology have enabled us to combine what we’ve learnt from decades of research into radiotherapy. For the first time, we can now look at the full complexity of a patient’s genetics, medical history and treatment, to predict if they are at risk of side effects.

“This has been a huge collaborative effort between clinicians, physicists, biologists, statisticians and data scientists.”

Abstract: Big-RT: Big Data analysis to identify combinatorial predictors of radiotherapy toxicity for personalised treatment in prostate cancer patients. [abstract]

Tags: Cancer | Genetics | Men's Health | UK News

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