Cancer Risk Assessment in Modern Radiotherapy Workflow With Medical Big Data

Despite the availability of big data and improvements in technology, errors and lapses in the workflow and processes of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) may lead to a misbalancing of risk and benefit among patients with cancer. One of the risks of radiotherapy include secondary radiation-induced malignancy, but the exact mechanism and dose-response relationship between them is unknown. By properly accessing digital data and balancing it with modern technology, the authors suggest that effective strategies for reducing the risk of cancer can be formulated. For this review, the authors present the background and current challenges in 4 key areas of radiotherapy: screening and diagnosis, contouring and planning, targeting and delivery, and follow-up care and re-irradiation. They also present potential future options, such as using artificial intelligence to create safe and effective strategies in radiotherapy.