e Report 85 21 A Study of the Treatment Advice of a Stanford Computer Based Cancer Chemotherapy Protocol Advisor . David H. st

A computer-based cancer chemotherapy protocol advisor, termed ONCOCIN, has been implemented for experimental use in a university oncology clinic. It uses artificial intelligence techniques to guide the treatment of patients enrolled in chemotherapy protocols. The program combines formal protocol guidelines with judgments of cancer experts who have experience adapting such protocols for aberrant clinical situations. The quality of the program's advice is one of several important evaluation questions for a system of this kind. We compared the chemotherapy administered by clinic physicians with the treatment plan that would have been recommended by ONCOCIN in 415 clinic visits for 39 lymphoma patients seen prior to the program's introduction.