Bengaluru: IBM cancer care a boon for patients

Bengaluru: A forty-page printout was enough for Keerthi (suffering from bilateral breast cancer) to inform herself about the full details of her treatment, after which she left for Delhi. The printout gave her information about the antibody therapy which helped her.  Ever since Manipal Hospital adopted IBM Watson for Oncology for individualised and evidence-based cancer care, some 1,300 patients have benefited from the cognitive computing platform.

"We did a study post the launch, on a thousand people. Apart from the study, we have also applied the technology on more than two hundred patients. This platform has proved to be helpful for many patients, reducing the standard amount of time which is generally taken," said Dr S.P. Somashekar, (Chairman and HoD, surgical oncologist, Manipal Comprehensive Cancer Centre).

"With a click of a mouse, the patient gets a full page printout. Healthcare and medical data is generated at a record pace from medical devices, health monitors, patient records as well as medical research. This data can be of immense help in several ways, ranging from large-scale population health management to highly personalized medical decision support," Dr Somashekar said.

According to a study by The National Cancer Institute (NCI), every 13th new cancer patient in the world is an Indian. This growing number has made it essential for healthcare experts to integrate technology into treatment.

Globally too, IBM Watson for Oncology has been adopted at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand and Gachon University Gil Medical Centre in Korea. Around twenty-one hospitals across China plan to adopt Watson for Oncology through an IBM partnership with Hangzhou Cognitive Care of China.

"A team of 12 oncologists from Manipal Hospitals have been  trained to use this solution to help the patients with the exact diagnosis and administer treatment accordingly. Watson can understand the case and highlight a list of potential treatments with a percentage rank of certitude. The doctor then reviews the list and makes his decision on the final treatment in consultation with the patient," Dr Somashekhar said.