Role of AI in Precision Oncology

Keerthi Ranganathan

Scientific Content Developer
4baseCare

Do you remember the movie I-Robot of Wills Smith and robot Sonny? The movie indeed was a great example of what Artificial Intelligence is all about and how it can serve the greater good of mankind.

As we step into the era of precision medicine, especially where genomics-driven information is important we seek help from AI for more precise treatment output and to handle the big data. 

AI is taking charge in almost all the segments the world has known. And medical science is not an exception. 

The key benefit of using AI in precision oncology management is that it can give proper treatment decisions based on the disease portfolio, elucidating multiple parameters at once limiting human interference to a minimum. For example, we all know that cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease meaning different tumor/cancer cells may show distinct morphological and phenotypical characteristics, that includes a difference in cellular morphology, gene expression, metabolism, movement, proliferation, and metastatic attributes.

In another scenario, while generating user-friendly automated reports from RAW NGS data, AI-based tools prove to be more accurate than conventional ones. In one study with Glioblastoma which happens to be one of the aggressive solid cancers, the DNA methylation overview is linked to disease progression which shows extensive tumor heterogeneity. To deduce DNA methylation heterogeneity in a genetically diverse and heterogeneous cancer like in this case of glioblastoma demonstrates the feasibility of integrating epigenomics, radiology, and digital pathology for more accurate analysis and insights. Managing different parameters in a large cohort becomes humanly impossible and the intervention of AI largely shows its potential to ease off the procedure. 

In another scenario for studying the effective drug responses, the computational prediction model on the analysis of multiple types of genome-wide molecular data becomes an indispensable tool for accomplishing the promise of precision medicine in oncology where AI-based tool becomes handy.

Now, as we move forward in cancer treatment, based on genomic medicine and genetic/genomic testing, monotherapy or a combination of therapies shows the best possible outcome in terms of PFS and OS. To take the decision based on huge data that is most efficacious to treat that particular cancer, an AI-driven prediction model shows its value, ranking the drugs or drug combination from most efficacious to least efficacious extending the list for overcoming drug-related resistance in cancer treatment.

It is just the beginning of AI-based treatment, and the USFDA has already nodded for AI-driven software in the treatment of Prostate Cancer recently. As more imaging, genetic testing, and precision oncology companies adopt this new approach, AI-based precision treatment in oncology will become accessible and affordable for people affected by the disease.

In the future, more and more AI-based tools will be approved in the precision oncology domain for better treatment outcomes making it an indispensable tool in clinical practice in cancer diagnosis and treatment.