Advancing Cancer Care: Predicting Mesothelioma Survival Time Using Deep Learning

Advancing Cancer Care: Predicting Mesothelioma Survival Time Using Deep Learning

ByHolly Zink

Cancer treatment is complex. Doctors need to estimate how long patients might live to choose the best treatments. New technologies like machine learning and deep learning have improved this process. These technologies are especially good at predicting how long cancer patients might survive. Novel Approach A new study focuses on a rare cancer called epithelioid malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Researchers have developed a new deep learning network to predict how long patients with this cancer might live. This new approach is more efficient than others because it doesn’t require manual note-taking. The new model was tested using clinical data. They included factors like the Peritoneal Cancer Index and whether patients received chemotherapy. The results showed that the model performed better than…

How Do We Know If the Treatment is Working? Measuring Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Response
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How Do We Know If the Treatment is Working? Measuring Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Response

ByHolly Zink

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer. A growing number of mesotheliomas are being treated with novel immunotherapies. But clinicians still lack a meaningful way to measure mesothelioma treatment response. An article in Seminars in Nuclear Medicine lists five ways clinicians can measure how well a treatment plan is working. And a new artificial intelligence tool can measure mesothelioma tumors without any human input. Artificial intelligence may provide the key to treatment response in the future. Measuring Mesothelioma Treatment Response In malignant pleural mesothelioma, complex tumors result in inconsistent clinical assessment. There are five common ways to measure if a treatment plan is working. Generally, a clinician will look to see if the size or weight of a tumor has…

Predicting Mesothelioma Outcomes with FDG-PET: A New Model
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Predicting Mesothelioma Outcomes with FDG-PET: A New Model

ByAlex Strauss

Swiss doctors have created a new tool for predicting mesothelioma outcomes with FDG-PET scans.  FDG-PET scanning is a nuclear imaging technique. It gives doctors a non-invasive way to track the growth of pleural mesothelioma tumors.  The Swiss team analyzed multiple PET scans and CT scans from mesothelioma patients. They used a computer to look for commonalities in the scans. Then they used the information to create a computer model for predicting mesothelioma outcomes with FDG-PET. The model may help doctors and patients make better decisions about mesothelioma treatment in the future.  Imaging Studies for Mesothelioma Prognosis Pleural mesothelioma tumors occur on the pleural lining around the lungs. In the early stages, mesothelioma causes few symptoms. As mesothelioma tumors grow, they…

Artificial Intelligence in Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Planning
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Artificial Intelligence in Mesothelioma Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Treatment Planning

ByAlex Strauss

Two newly-published studies highlight some of the ways that artificial intelligence may help with the diagnosis and treatment of malignant mesothelioma.  The first study focuses on machine learning algorithms for mesothelioma diagnosis. Researchers used data from Turkey, which has a high rate of mesothelioma among families.  A separate study from New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center demonstrates the role that artificial intelligence can play in planning mesothelioma radiotherapy. Both studies suggest that machine learning may be a valuable tool to help doctors tackle asbestos cancer.  How Does Machine Learning Work? Artificial intelligence refers to intelligence generated by a computer. Like people, computers have to “learn” before they can provide intelligent answers to medical questions.  In both of the new studies,…

Machine Learning Tool May Predict Mesothelioma Survival Better Than Pathologists
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Machine Learning Tool May Predict Mesothelioma Survival Better Than Pathologists

ByAlex Strauss

The developers of a machine learning tool called MesoNet say the program can predict mesothelioma survival better than a pathologist. MesoNet is a deep convolutional neural network. It analyzes digitized images of mesothelioma cells to predict overall survival. In a new article in Nature Medicine, its creators compared the machine learning tool with pathologist-read slides. Then they validated MesoNet with two different sets of mesothelioma patients.  The result may offer a new, more accurate approach to mesothelioma treatment planning.  What is a Machine Learning Tool? A machine learning tool is a computer program that gets “smarter” the more it runs. A deep convolutional neural network is a type of machine learning tool that analyzes images. The more images it analyzes,…

Machine Learning Could Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Diagnosis
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Machine Learning Could Lead to Earlier Mesothelioma Diagnosis

ByAlex Strauss

A machine learning tool being developed by Google could lead to earlier mesothelioma diagnosis and better survival rates. That word comes from Google artificial intelligence experts who recently presented their research at a developer conference in California. Machine learning specialist Lily Peng told the gathering that advanced A.I. can detect lung cancers like mesothelioma before doctors can even see them. Earlier mesothelioma diagnosis would allow for earlier intervention which could mean longer survival for victims of one of the world’s deadliest cancers. Diagnosis Often Comes Too Late Mesothelioma is a form of lung cancer caused by asbestos exposure. It can take decades to develop, but It is usually fatal within 18 months of diagnosis. One reason is that earlier mesothelioma…

Scientists Say Machine Learning Could Help Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier
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Scientists Say Machine Learning Could Help Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers in Toronto say machine learning could help doctors diagnose mesothelioma earlier. Molecular geneticists at the University of Toronto teamed up with cancer and heart doctors to conduct the new research. The team collected data from hundreds of suspected mesothelioma cases and ran it through different statistical analysis programs. The goal was to see which one was best at determining who had pleural mesothelioma and who did not. The results revealed some important information – both about the machine learning tools and about how doctors might diagnose mesothelioma earlier, even without them. Why Doctors Need to Diagnose Mesothelioma Earlier Mesothelioma is almost always caused by asbestos exposure. In the first few years of the disease, there may be no mesothelioma…