What is the Effectiveness of Machine-Learning Algorithms in Predicting Melanoma Recurrence?

Most melanoma deaths happen to individuals originally diagnosed with early-stage melanoma and then encountered a recurrence that is often not recognized until it has spread or metastasized. Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) recently devised an artificial intelligence-based method for determining which patients are most likely to have a recurrence and benefit from aggressive treatment. The study was published in the journal npj Precision Oncology. Most individuals with early-stage melanoma are treated with surgery to eliminate cancerous cells. Still, patients with more advanced cancer are frequently treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, which efficaciously enhance the immune response against tumor cells but have serious side effects.