AI can predict adverse impact of cancer treatment on patient

Bengaluru: With some substantial development in research related to the area of cancer, the world has been observing certain changes associated with the treatment process, therapy and also drug combinations. Most of the times, these drugs come with their own set of challenges as they begin to have an adverse effect on patients suffering from cancer. However, technological advancements show that theseside effects can be predicted with the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence).

A combination of drugs or a drug can result in multiple side effects. Consultant and Medical Oncologist from HCG Cancer Hospital, Dr.Nandish Kumar says that a cancer treatment side effect is nothing but a condition where any healthy tissue or an organ is affected and a health problem arises. "These side effects vary from patient to patient depending on the type of the treatment. For some, the side effects are temporary, while for others, they can continue for years after the treatment is over. This can disrupt the daily routine and hamper the quality of life. Of the many side effects, some patients complain of headaches, and in most cases, they are migraine headaches," he says.

It is common to experience a headache every now and then, however, migraine is different from a regular headache. "Migraine causes excruciating pain that feels like throbbing or pulsating on one side of the head. These types of headaches can last for a few hours or continue for days and interrupt daily activities. Certain types of cancers like brain and spinal cord cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, lymphoma, pituitary gland tumours or if the cancer has spread to the brain. In other cases, they might be caused due to effects of the cancer treatment given to the patient. Some types of chemotherapy, radiation therapy to the brain and immunotherapy by using the body's immune system to fight and kill cancer cells can cause migraine headaches. Even medications taken for cancer treatment, anaemia, high levels of calcium in the body, low platelet count, and dehydration during cancer treatment can trigger a migraine headache while stress, lack of sleep and anxieties can worsen the pain," he adds.

Since these side effects vary from one patient to another along with changes in the combination of drugs, it can be difficult to see them coming.Nonetheless, according to the results presented at the AACR (American Association of Cancer Research) Annual Meeting 2022, preliminary data from an artificial intelligence model could potentially predict side effects resulting from new combination therapies.

Bart Westerman, senior author of the study and an associate professor at the Cancer Center Amsterdam says, "It can be hard to assess whether the positive effect of a combination therapy will justify its negative side effects for a certain patient.Patients seeking treatment commonly use four to six medicines daily, making it difficult to decide whether a new combination therapy would risk their health."

The AI model was fed with data from the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), a database containing over 15 million records of adverse events. In addition to this, numerous adverse event profiles were included. "We were able to determine the sum of individual therapy effects through simple algebraic calculation of the latent space descriptors. Since this approach reduces noise in the data because the algorithm is trained to recognize global patterns, it can accurately capture the side effects of combination therapies," he adds.