Colorectal Cancer Treatment Possible Through Artificial Intelligence Test

A test using artificial intelligence or AI to measure proteins that exist in some patients suffering from advanced bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, could potentially be a more aimed treatment.

This latest development is based on a study. Artificial intelligence-assisted amphiregulin and epiregulin immunohistochemistry predict panitumumab benefit in RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer, published in the Clinical Research Cancer journal.

A team of researchers from the University of Leeds worked together with researchers at Roche Diagnostics to create a scheme that will help those in medical practice and patients on the best options for treatment.

Specifically, the study authors used specimens from the past trials which the Cancer Research UK financially backed to observe the levels of a pair of proteins, identified as AREG and EREG, generated by certain colorectal cancers.

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Artificial Intelligence Test

A similar report from ecancer specified, algorithms driven by artificial intelligence allowed the study investigators to show the patients with higher levels of such proteins got substantial benefit from a therapy that constrains a different protein engaged in cancer cell growth, identified as EGFR.

Of equal essentiality, patients who have low levels of proteins did not benefit from such a therapy. At present, according to a Digital Health report, anti-EGFR therapies are only provided to patients who are suffering from advanced, untreatable bowel cancers.

The study authors are hoping that their approach could be applied to identify patients in the initial phases of the disease who could benefit from the medicine.

Christopher William, lead author of the study from the Division of Pathology and Data Analytics of the Leeds University, said, as more options for treatment "become available for colorectal cancer," it is turning out to be increasingly challenging for patients and their doctors to select the treatment that is suitable or appropriate for them.

Coinciding the Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in the UK

More so, the test will help patients navigate such a process of decision-making more simply. The said study results in the said journal are just in time as it coincides with Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in the UK.

More so, this said work was financially backed by Innovate UK and Roche Diagnostics, and Yorkshire Cancer Research.

It was included in a program of work in this field, which the National Pathology Imaging Co-operative is currently conducting.

Kandavel Shanmugam, the senior author of the study, who's also Roche Diagnostics' senior director of medical innovation, said, as growing numbers of complex experiments are developed to aim the right treatments for cancers to the appropriate patients, developing simplified methods for the delivery of test results, will be necessary for cancer care improvement.

The senior author also said, through the use of AI to "semi-automate the test process," they are anticipating that it may be quite easier for outcomes to be delivered to patients quicker to better affect decisions for treatment.

A related report is shown on CBS This Morning's YouTube video below: