Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy commonly suffer from sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression among other side effects. We’ve written about technology that helps restore hair growth after chemotherapy. We also covered AFLAC’s smart pediatric chemo companion for children.
Researchers at the Centre for Vision, Speech, and Signal Processing (CVSSP) at the University of Surrey recently published a study in PLOS One with details about using artificial intelligence to predict chemo side effects with 799 patients. The scientists analyzed the accuracy of Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Non-linear Canonical Correlation Analysis (n-CCA) machine-learning algorithms to predict not only the occurrence but also the severity of sleep problems, anxiety, and depression at two different stages in chemotherapy. The study results show a significant positive correlation between the AI predictions and the side effects patients experienced.
Oncologists and treatment teams can use studies such as the Surrey predictive models help identify patients with high risk of side effects, educate the patients about the symptoms, and modify treatment plans accordingly.
