MSKCC, IBM to build cancer diagnostic/treatment tool on Watson platform
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and IBM have agreed to collaborate on the development of a tool built upon IBM Watson in order to provide medical professionals with improved access to current and comprehensive cancer data and practices. The resulting decision support tool will help clinicians create individualized cancer diagnostic and treatment recommendations for their patients based on current evidence.
The initiative will combine the computational power of IBM Watson and its natural language processing ability with MSKCC’s clinical knowledge, existing molecular and genomic data and vast repository of cancer case histories, in order to create an outcome and evidence-based decision support system. The goal is to give oncologists the ability to obtain detailed diagnostic and treatment options based on updated research, New York City-based MSKCC stated.
MSKCC’s oncologists will assist in developing IBM Watson to use a patient’s medical information and synthesize a vast array of continuously updated and vetted treatment guidelines, published research and insights gleaned from the experience of MSKCC clinicians to provide an individualized recommendation to physicians. The tool also will provide users with a detailed record of the data and evidence used to reach the recommendations.
Development work already is underway for the first applications, which include lung, breast and prostate cancers. The objective is to begin piloting the solutions to a select group of oncologists in late 2012, with wider distribution planned for late 2013.
The initiative will combine the computational power of IBM Watson and its natural language processing ability with MSKCC’s clinical knowledge, existing molecular and genomic data and vast repository of cancer case histories, in order to create an outcome and evidence-based decision support system. The goal is to give oncologists the ability to obtain detailed diagnostic and treatment options based on updated research, New York City-based MSKCC stated.
MSKCC’s oncologists will assist in developing IBM Watson to use a patient’s medical information and synthesize a vast array of continuously updated and vetted treatment guidelines, published research and insights gleaned from the experience of MSKCC clinicians to provide an individualized recommendation to physicians. The tool also will provide users with a detailed record of the data and evidence used to reach the recommendations.
Development work already is underway for the first applications, which include lung, breast and prostate cancers. The objective is to begin piloting the solutions to a select group of oncologists in late 2012, with wider distribution planned for late 2013.