Maximizing cancer survival, minimizing treatment side effects with AI

IMAGE: UIC's Liz Marai (center) and collaborators examine a large dataset in the Electronic Visualization Laboratory's high-resolution CAVE2 environment at the UIC College of Engineering. Computer scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing a computational artificial intelligence system they hope will serve as a decision support tool for doctors prescribing treatment for head and neck cancer. The work is supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. "Chemotherapy and radiation can have very serious side effects, so knowing more about when it makes sense to prescribe these treatments and at what time points is valuable information," said Liz Marai, associate professor of computer science at the UIC College of Engineering and principal investigator. "But most cancer treatment decisions are made by small groups of doctors during what is called'tumor board' meetings where they discuss their patients and come up with treatment plants. We want to develop a scalable system based on real cancer patient data that can help guide physicians in how to treat specific patients."