Supercomputer Watson promises cancer patients astonishing results

Are supercomputers the future of medicine?

Is the future of medicine in supercomputer hands?

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - IBM designed a supercomputer named Watson to diagnose and treat cancer faster than a team of 15 medics working at full-capacity.

According to IBM,  oncologists can utilize Watson for its personal evaluation of each unique patient.

Watson is able to analyze data from clinical notes, reports and key patient information to diagnose cancer.

It is also capable of suggesting the best treatment on a case-by-case basis.

Unlike most programs, which pull information from a limited, often outdated pool of information, Watson draws from MSK curated literature and medical rationales.

It has access to over 290 medical journals, more than 200 textbooks and 12 million pages of text, which it uses to consider the patient's individual needs to proven forms of treatment - even taking into account the warnings and toxicities for each drug.

Dr. James Miser, Bumrungrad's Chief Medical Information Officer, stated: "It will be like having a capable and knowledgeable 'colleague' who can review the current information that relates to my patient...It is fast, thorough, and has the uncanny ability to understand how the available evidence applies to the unique individual I am treating."

According to Daily Mail, Watson was tested against a panel of 15 leading oncologists.

As a team, the oncologists worked together to recommend a treatment plan for each sample patient.

Both the team and Watson were given notes from 638 former breast cancer patients to asses with the exception of the treatment plans their doctors chose.

The team took an average of twelve minutes per patient.

Watson took 40 seconds.

In nine of ten cases, both Watson and the team came to the same conclusion for treatment.

The largest factor to come into play is man's limited knowledge base - it is impossible for doctors to know every single case and known treatment paired with mutated forms of cancer on a case-by-case basis - but Watson can draw upon each of those factors.

IBM recently stated its employees in the United States will have access to Watson's diagnosis and recommended treatment beginning January 2017.

Kyo Rhee, M.D., IBM Watson Health's chief health officer, announced: "For anyone receiving the diagnosis, or supporting a loved one through it, cancer can be overwhelming. Now a second opinion staffed by the powerful combination of Watson and world-renowned oncologists in the Best Doctors network is readily available.

"With this first-ever U.S. rollout of the technology, the full breadth and depth of Watson's services can benefit an entire population of individuals who need them."

Barbara Brickmeier, the VP of employee benefits, IBM, added: "We are delighted to continue IBM's leadership in employee health and wellness benefits with these new Watson Oncology offerings. The promise of Watson and IBM's healthcare moonshot becomes very real and very personal with this announcement."

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