Artificial Intelligence Era Begins in Liver Cancer Treatment

Maltepe University Cancer and Stem Cell Research Center (MÜKKAM) has developed artificial intelligence software for early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. The software is planned to be completed within two years. Once the studies are finished, artificial intelligence will perform liver cancer diagnosis, monitoring and treatment for the first time in the world. Maltepe University Cancer and Stem Cell Research Center (MÜKKAM) is conducting research on the structural and functional changes of cancerous cells in the liver through a specialized team of scientists and developing software that encodes treatment related to these cells. The study, which has yielded positive initial results, will offer hope in liver cancer diagnosis and treatment. Sharing information on the method that will be applied in liver cancer treatment for the first time in the world, MÜKKAM Director Prof. Ranan Gülhan Aktaş stated that a large team including oncologists, biologists, geneticists, computer engineers, specialists and students from various universities has been included in the project. Stating that they have been conducting studies on liver cancer cells for five years at MÜKKAM, which was established in 2014, Prof. Aktaş said, "We are researching biomarkers that could be important in early diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. We are in the process of converting our results into software that could guide treatment determination and patient follow-up." Noting that artificial intelligence has begun to be used in some diseases in the United States, particularly with software developed for skin cancer achieving 84% accurate diagnosis, Prof. Aktaş stated that there are also studies on lung cancer; however, pointing out that studies on liver cancer are limited, the project has received support from the Turkish Liver Foundation, Health and Social Solidarity Foundation and TÜBİTAK. Pointing out that research conducted has calculated that one in three people will be a cancer patient in the 2030s, Prof. Aktaş stated that the work they are doing is of great importance and, as a scientist, it excites him greatly.

84 Genes Examined

Explaining that they have examined 84 genes identified as important in cancer formation and that they have monitored the behavior and changes of cancerous cells in this process, Prof. Aktaş said, "We are examining changes in their secretions, proteins, and whether cells secrete fat. We are obtaining multidimensional numerical data. Based on the database in question, we formulate relationships between the changes. We are converting all these results into software. Such software does not yet exist in the world for liver cancer." Stating that personalized treatments will also be generated by the system with the developed software, Aktaş noted that because cancer progresses differently in each body, personalized treatment is the most critical issue in overcoming cancer, saying, "The main goal of our developed method is to create personalized treatment models and recommend treatment suitable for the patient." Prof. Aktaş said they also aim to achieve early diagnosis in liver cancer through the study, explaining that they have reached statistically significant data and that validations are currently being conducted. Pointing out that there are many different types of cancer, but all cancers share some common characteristics in their formation, Prof. Aktaş said that the data they obtained also revealed data on changes in common characteristics, and that this data would help in the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer in the future.