Sunday, December 24, 2017

Algorithm's for diagnostic ease

A few month's ago I was confronted with a horror diagnostic: the colon cancer has activated, both left and red lungs are affected. Affected in such a way, we diagnostic incurable. We now propose a palliative chemo. Please note the effect of the chemo's can only be diagnosed after the third infusion.
So after this third infusion we can tell you what your forecasts are. In any case you are bound for chemo infusion for the rest of your live.

That's is a verdict. And you have to live for 2 month's in unknown. Will the chemo help me to prolonge my life or not?

It seems however computer science is also making progress in this area.
Clever scientists have developed an algorithm to scan two breast-CT scans of patients with COPD
The algorithm surveys the two scans and can easily determine the affected cells one one scan and also on the other to summarize wether there are more, same or less scans on scan #2 is an easy job. This information is vital for the doctor. Are we making use of the correct treatment a.s.o.
The diagnostics information was prior to the algorithm done visually by the radiologist. A job, only for the very few experts, to be done without errors.

The most recent development in this aspect is now an algorithm which can survey long-cancer  CT-scans.

For me, however, a colon cancer with metastases in both longs, there is no algorithm developed. Let me hope my scans will be surveyed by a well experienced radiologist.