AI assistance for planning cancer treatment

Abstract

Oncologists face a conundrum with immunotherapies. These drugs are designed to smash through the immunity-suppressing fog created by tumours. When they work, they can marshal a potent antitumour immune response and deliver years of remission. Unfortunately, most people with cancer do not experience these benefits, and it isn't obvious who will respond to treatment.Clinicians are clamouring for useful biomarkers that can quickly sort likely responders from those for whom such treatments will not work. Artificial intelligence (AI) could be a valuable ally in this setting, and researchers are developing algorithms that are proving adept at spotting patterns in clinical data that could guide better treatment (see 'Pattern recognition'). For example, a 2022 study led by Anant Madabhushi, a biomedical engineer at