Health
AI could predict whether cancer treatments will work, experts say: ‘Exciting time in medicine'
A chemotherapy alternative called immunotherapy is showing promise in treating cancer — and a new artificial intelligence tool could help ensure that patients have the best possible experience.
Immunotherapy, first approved in 2011, uses the cancer patient’s own immune system to target and fight cancer.
While it doesn’t work for everyone, for the 15% to 20% who do see results, it can be life-saving.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?
Like any medication, immunotherapy has the potential for adverse side effects — which can be severe for some.
Studies show that some 10% to 15% of patients develop “significant toxicities.”
A chemotherapy alternative called immunotherapy is showing promise in treating cancer — and a new artificial intelligence tool could help ensure that patients have the best possible experience. (iStock)
Headquartered in Chicago, GE HealthCare — working in tandem with Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee — has created an AI model that’s designed to help remove some of the uncertainties surrounding immunotherapy.
Over the five years it’s been in development, the AI model was trained on thousands of patients’ electronic health records (EHRs) to recognize patterns in how they responded to immunotherapy, focusing on safety and effectiveness.
AI MODEL COULD HELP PREDICT LUNG CANCER RISKS IN NON-SMOKERS, STUDY FINDS: ‘SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENT’
“The model predicts which patients are likely to derive the benefit from immunotherapy versus those patients who may not,” said Jan Wolber, global digital product leader at GE HealthCare’s pharmaceutical diagnostics segment, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It also predicts which patients have a likelihood of developing one or more significant toxicities.”
When pulling data from the patient’s health record, the model looks at demographic information, preexisting diagnoses, lifestyle habits (such as smoking), medication history and more.
Immunotherapy, which was first approved in 2011, uses the cancer patient’s immune system to target and fight cancer. (iStock)
“All of these data are already being collected by the patient’s oncologist, or they’re filling out a form in the waiting room ahead of time,” said Travis Osterman, a medical oncologist and associate chief medical information officer at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
(Osterman is working with Wolber on the development of the AI model.)
BREAST CANCER BREAKTHROUGH: AI PREDICTS A THIRD OF CASES PRIOR TO DIAGNOSIS IN MAMMOGRAPHY STUDY
“We’re not asking for additional blood samples or complex imaging. These are all data points that we’re already collecting — vital signs, diagnoses, lab values, those sorts of things.”
In a study, the AI model showed 70% to 80% accuracy in predicting patients’ responses to immunotherapies, according to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Clinical Cancer Informatics.
“While the models are not perfect, this is actually a very good result,” Wolber said. “We can implement those models with very little additional effort because there are no additional measurements required in the clinic.”
‘Natural progression’
This type of technology is “a natural progression of what we’ve been doing in medicine for a very long time,” Osterman said.
“The only difference is, instead of surveying patients, we’re taking the entirety of the medical record and looking for risk factors that contribute to an outcome,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The AI model was trained on thousands of patients’ electronic health records to recognize patterns in how they responded to immunotherapy, focusing on safety and effectiveness. (iStock)
With immunotherapy, there is generally a lower response rate than with chemotherapy, Osterman noted — but some patients have “incredible responses” and ultimately become cancer-free.
“I would be horrified to know that one of my patients that I didn’t give immunotherapy to could have been one of the tremendous responders,” he told Fox News Digital.
Conversely, Osterman noted that in rare cases, immunotherapy can have some serious side effects.
“I would be horrified to know that one of my patients that I didn’t give immunotherapy to could have been one of the tremendous responders.”
“I would say about half of patients don’t have any side effects, but for those who do, some of them are really life-altering,” he said.
“We don’t want to miss anyone, but we also don’t want to harm anyone.”
At the core of the AI project, Osterman said, is the ability to “put all the information into the exam room,” so the oncologist can counsel the patient about the risks and benefits of this particular therapy and make the best, most informed decision about their care.
Combining technology and human expertise
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the AI model’s development but commented on its potential.
“AI models are emerging that are helping to manage responses to cancer treatments,” he told Fox News Digital.
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the AI model’s development but weighed in on its potential. “AI models are emerging that are helping to manage responses to cancer treatments,” he said. (Dr. Marc Siegel)
“These can allow for more treatment options and be more predictive of outcome.”
AI models like this one are an example of “the essential future of personalized medicine,” Siegel said, “where each patient is approached differently and their cancer is analyzed and treated with precision using genetic and protein analysis.”
As long as physicians and scientists remain in charge — “not a computer or robot” — Siegel said that “there is no downside.”
Potential limitations
The AI model does carry some degree of limitations, the experts acknowledged.
“The models obviously do not return 100% accuracy,” Wolber told Fox News Digital. “So there are some so-called false positives or false negatives.”
NEW AI ‘CANCER CHATBOT’ PROVIDES PATIENTS AND FAMILIES WITH 24/7 SUPPORT: ‘EMPATHETIC APPROACH’
The tool is not a “black box” that will provide a surefire answer, he noted. Rather, it’s a tool that provides data points to the clinician and informs them as they make patient management decisions.
Osterman pointed out that the AI model uses a “relatively small dataset.”
“We would love to be able to refine our predictions by learning on bigger data sets,” he said.
The tool is not a “black box” that will provide a surefire answer, one of the researchers said; rather, it’s a tool that provides data points to clinicians and informs them as they make patient management decisions. (iStock)
The team is currently looking for partnerships that will enable them to test the AI model in new settings and achieve even higher accuracy in its predictions.
Another challenge, Osterman said, is the need to integrate these AI recommendations into the workflow.
“This is pretty new for us as a health care community, and I think we’re all going to be wrestling with that question,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Looking ahead, once the AI model has achieved the necessary regulatory approvals, GE HealthCare plans to make the technology available for widespread use by clinicians — perhaps even expanding to other care areas, such as neurology or cardiology.
There is also the potential to incorporate it into drug development.
“We don’t want to miss anyone, but we also don’t want to harm anyone.”
“One of the things that drug makers struggle with is that some of the agents that may be really useful for some patients could be really toxic for others,” Osterman said.
“If they were able to pick which patients could go into a trial and exclude patients with the highest risk of toxicity, that could mean the difference between that drug being made available or not.”
He added, “If this means that we’re able to help tailor that precision risk to patients, I’m in favor of that.”
Ultimately, Osterman said, “it’s a really exciting time to be in medicine … I think we’re going to look back and regard this as the golden age of AI recommendations. I think they’re probably here to stay.”
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health.
Deaths from bombs and other traumatic injuries during the first nine months of the war in Gaza may have been underestimated by more than 40 percent, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet.
The peer-reviewed statistical analysis, led by epidemiologists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, used modeling in an effort to provide an objective third-party estimate of casualties. The United Nations has relied on the figure from the Hamas-led Ministry of Health, which it says has been largely accurate, but which Israel criticizes as inflated.
But the new analysis suggests the Hamas health ministry tally is a significant undercount. The researchers concluded that the death toll from Israel’s aerial bombardment and military ground operation in Gaza between October 2023 and the end of June 2024 was about 64,300, rather than the 37,900 reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The estimate in the analysis corresponds to 2.9 percent of Gaza’s prewar population having been killed by traumatic injury, or one in 35 inhabitants. The analysis did not account for other war-related casualties such as deaths from malnutrition, water-borne illness or the breakdown of the health system as the conflict progressed.
The study found that 59 percent of the dead were women, children and people over the age of 65. It did not establish what share of the reported dead were combatants.
Mike Spagat, an expert on calculating casualties of war who was not involved in this research, said the new analysis convinced him that Gaza casualties were underestimated.
“This is a good piece of evidence that the real number is higher, probably substantially higher, than the Ministry of Health’s official numbers, higher than I had been thinking over the last few months,” said Dr. Spagat, who is a professor at Royal Holloway College at the University of London.
But the presentation of precise figures, such as a 41 percent underreported mortality, is less useful, he said, since the analysis actually shows the real total could be less than, or substantially more. “Quantitatively, it’s a lot more uncertain than I think comes out in the paper,” Dr. Spagat said.
The researchers said their estimate of 64,260 deaths from traumatic injury has a “confidence interval” between 55,298 and 78,525, which means the actual number of casualties is likely in that range.
If the estimated level of underreporting of deaths through June 2024 is extrapolated out to October 2024, the total Gazan casualty figure in the first year of the war would exceed 70,000.
“There is an importance to war injury deaths, because it speaks to the question of whether the campaign is proportional, whether it is, in fact, the case that sufficient provisions are made to to avoid civilian casualties,” said Francesco Checchi, an epidemiologist with an expertise in conflict and humanitarian crises and a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine who was an author on the study. “I do think memorializing is important. There is inherent value in just trying to come up with the right number.”
The analysis uses a statistical method called capture-recapture analysis, which has been used to estimate casualties in other conflicts, including civil wars in Colombia and Sudan.
For Gaza, the researchers drew on three lists: The first is a register maintained by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which mainly comprises the dead in hospital morgues and estimates of the number of unrecovered people buried in rubble. The second is deaths reported by family or community members through an online survey form the ministry established on Jan. 1, 2024, when the prewar death registration system had broken down. It asked Palestinians inside and outside Gaza to provide names, ages, national ID number and location of death for casualties. The third source was obituaries of people who died from injuries that were published on social media, which may not include all of the same biographical details and which the researchers compiled by hand.
The researchers analyzed these sources to look for individuals who appear on multiple lists of those killed. A high level of overlap would have suggested that few deaths were uncounted; the low amount they found suggested the opposite. The researchers used models to calculate the probability of each individual appearing on any of the three lists.
“Models enable us to actually estimate the number of people who have not been listed at all,” Dr. Checchi said. That, combined with the listed number, gave the analysts their total.
Patrick Ball, director of research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, and a statistician who has conducted similar estimates of violent deaths in conflicts in other regions, said the study was strong and well reasoned. But he cautioned that the authors may have underestimated the amount of uncertainty caused by the ongoing conflict.
The authors used different variations of mathematical models in their calculations, but Dr. Ball said that rather than presenting a single figure — 64,260 deaths — as the estimate, it may have been more appropriate to present the number of deaths as a range from 47,457 to 88,332 deaths, a span that encompasses all of the estimates produced by modeling the overlap among the three lists.
“It’s really hard to do this kind of thing in the middle of a conflict,” Dr. Ball said. “It takes time, and it takes access. I think you could say the range is larger, and that would be plausible.”
While Gaza had a strong death registration process before the war, it now has only limited function after the destruction of much of the health system. Deaths are uncounted when whole families are killed simultaneously, leaving no one to report, or when an unknown number of people die in the collapse of a large building; Gazans are increasingly buried near their homes without passing through a morgue, Dr. Checchi said.
The authors of the study acknowledged that some of those assumed dead may in fact be missing, most likely taken as prisoners in Israel.
Roni Caryn Rabin and Lauren Leatherby contributed reporting.
Dementia cases in the U.S. are expected to double by 2060, with an estimated one million people diagnosed per year, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins University and other institutions.
Researchers found that Americans’ risk of developing dementia after age 55 is 42%, double the risk that has been identified in prior studies, a press release stated.
For those who reach 75 years of age, the lifetime risk exceeds 50%, the study found.
AGING ‘HOTSPOT’ FOUND IN BRAIN, RESEARCHERS SAY: ‘MAJOR CHANGES’
Women face a 48% average risk and men have a 35% risk, with the discrepancy attributed to women living longer than men.
Dementia cases in the U.S. are expected to double by 2060, with an estimated one million people diagnosed per year. (iStock)
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine on Jan. 13, analyzed data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NCS), which has tracked the cognitive and vascular health of nearly 16,000 adults since 1987.
DEEP SLEEP CAN KEEP TWO BIG HEALTH PROBLEMS AT BAY, NEW STUDIES SUGGEST
“Our study results forecast a dramatic rise in the burden from dementia in the United States over the coming decades, with one in two Americans expected to experience cognitive difficulties after age 55,” said study senior investigator and epidemiologist Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, who serves as the founding director of the Optimal Aging Institute at NYU Langone, in the release.
Understanding risk factors
“One of the main reasons for the increase is that great medicine and tecnological advances are keeping us alive longer and age is a risk factor for dementia,” Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.
“Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”
In addition to aging, other risk factors include genetics, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, unhealthy diets of ultraprocessed foods, sedentary lifestyles and mental health disorders, the release said.
“We have an obesity epidemic with over 45% adults obese in the U.S.,” Siegel noted. “Obesity is associated with inflammation, diabetes and high blood pressure, which are all independent risk factors for dementia.”
“And as an unhealthy population, we also have more heart disease, and atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for cognitive decline,” he added.
Dementia risk was found to be higher among people who have a variant of the APOE4 gene, which has been linked to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Black adults also have a higher risk.
Researchers found that Americans’ risk of developing dementia after age 55 is 42%, double the risk that has been identified in prior studies. (iStock)
Research has shown that the same interventions used to prevent heart disease risk could also prevent or slow down dementia, the study suggested.
“The pending population boom in dementia cases poses significant challenges for health policymakers in particular, who must refocus their efforts on strategies to minimize the severity of dementia cases, as well as plans to provide more health care services for those with dementia,” said Coresh.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
What needs to change?
Professor Adrian Owen, PhD, neuroscientist and chief scientific officer at Creyos, a Canada-based company that specializes in cognitive assessment and brain health, referred to the increase in dementia cases as a “tidal wave.”
“This new study’s anticipated surge in dementia cases underscores the urgent need for early and accurate detection,” he told Fox News Digital.
“By catching issues early, we give people the power to make lifestyle adjustments, seek available treatments and plan their futures with clarity.”
“By identifying cognitive decline at its earliest stages, we have an opportunity to intervene before patients and families bear the full weight of the disease.”
Owen recommends conducting regular cognitive assessments as part of routine check-ups to proactively identify early signs of cognitive decline.
“By catching issues early, we give people the power to make lifestyle adjustments, seek available treatments and plan their futures with clarity,” he said.
“By identifying cognitive decline at its earliest stages, we have an opportunity to intervene before patients and families bear the full weight of the disease.” (iStock)
Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer and medical affairs lead for the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago, said there is an “urgent need” to address the global crisis of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
To help keep the aging brain healthy, the Alzheimer’s Association published its report 10 Healthy Habits for Your Brain. Some of the tips are listed below.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
– Participate in regular physical activity.
– Learn new things throughout your life and engage your brain.
– Get proper nutrition — prioritize vegetables and leaner meats/proteins, along with foods that are less processed and lower in fat.
– Avoid head injury (protect your head).
– Have a healthy heart and cardiovascular system — control blood pressure, avoid diabetes or treat it if you have it, manage your weight and don’t smoke.
Research has shown that the same interventions used to prevent heart disease risk could also prevent or slow down dementia. (iStock)
The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for additional comment.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Derrick Harmon, Detroit Loyola product, sees NFL Draft stock soar after season at Oregon
Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Mansion Is Getting a Billionaire-Worthy Upgrade
What Can South Carolina Learn From California's Wildfires? – FITSNews
Governor, new Pro Tempore seek to build trust in institutions
Tennessee General Assembly convenes for session expected to focus on voucher issue
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
Palisades and Eaton Fires May Not Be Fully Extinguished for Weeks
The top 5 moments from Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing
Rescuers recover 36 bodies and 82 survivors from South African gold mine
World News Live Today January 15, 2025: Donald Trump says to create new department to collect revenue from foreign sources on inauguration day
Auto Fire in Ventura County Is Small but 0% Contained
-
Politics1 week agoWho Are the Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
-
Health1 week agoOzempic ‘microdosing’ is the new weight-loss trend: Should you try it?
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25822586/STK169_ZUCKERBERG_MAGA_STKS491_CVIRGINIA_A.jpg "Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech")
Technology5 days agoMeta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech
-
Science3 days agoMetro will offer free rides in L.A. through Sunday due to fires
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25821992/videoframe_720397.png "Las Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion")
Technology7 days agoLas Vegas police release ChatGPT logs from the suspect in the Cybertruck explosion
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies’ Review: Thai Oscar Entry Is a Disarmingly Sentimental Tear-Jerker
-
Health1 week agoMichael J. Fox honored with Presidential Medal of Freedom for Parkinson’s research efforts
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoMovie Review: Millennials try to buy-in or opt-out of the “American Meltdown”