BEYOND

The future of Cancer

Cancer has single-handedly pushed mankind through many revolutions. Although, we have progressed with great discoveries and inventions, search for the ultimate cure remains a struggle. In this journey of finding a treatment (and hopefully cure), one of the biggest challenges are to figure out the exact state of a cancer patient, without a scope of error, as a patient with similar cancer may have a different prognosis.

To tackle this problem a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) program has been developed which aims to assess cancer stages more accurately. The results of the research were published in Cancer Cell.

Algorithm at work

The AI was developed using The Cancer Genome Atlas which is a catalogue that has different profiles of cancer. The researchers picked the 14 most known types of cancer and let the algorithm do its magic. The algorithm predicts the outcome based on histology & genomics combined to provide the most accurate predictions.

To their surprise, the AI also used other markers without any input which leads to the conclusion that this AI is capable of discovering markers that aren't known yet.

The Future

While this invention is a ray of hope in the healthcare community, large-scale testing and clinical trials are needed to gain more confidence in this technology. This leads to a possibility of AI models, helping healthcare specialties like radiology, pathology & genomics.

RESOURCES

The PAN Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance to underinsured people with chronic & rare diseases.
NeedyMeds, a nonprofit organisation, has made prescription drugs and other medical costs more accessible and affordable to people.
With a user-friendly interface paired with a great team, Oonology is simply way to file an out-of-network claim.

HEALTHY BITES

Polypill: An all-in-one drug containing aspirin, ramipril and atorvastatin has shown beneficial results in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
WHO helps Ukraine: WHO has successfully delivered more than 30 ambulances to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine amidst the crisis.
Processed food to Colon Cancer: Gobbling down those delicious breakfast sausages might sound like a swell idea, but it increases the risk of developing colon cancer in men by 29%, study shows.
AI for mental health: Socially Assistive Robots (SARs) were able to detect mental health disorders in children and is most likely a potential diagnostic tool for mankind recently established in a study.
Vitamin D: Researchers have discovered how Vitamin D supplements not only helps to maintain calcium level but also regulates the inflammatory response of the body, reducing chronic inflammation.