CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM Watson Health (NYSE: IBM) and its collaborators today unveiled data that will be presented at ASCO 2017, demonstrating the clinical utility of Watson for Oncology trained by Memorial Sloan Kettering as well as Watson for Clinical Trial Matching (CTM). IBM also announced the latest updates on adoption of Watson oncology offerings, which are now live or being implemented at dozens of hospitals and health organizations in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the U.S. And, Watson for Oncology was released to support physician's treatment of prostate cancer.
Five ASCO studies on Watson oncology offerings were unveiled today:
"These studies demonstrate that Watson technologies are doing what we expect them to do: helping physicians augment their own experience and expertise to deliver evidence-based care," said Andrew Norden, MD, MPH, MBA, deputy chief health officer for oncology and genomics, IBM Watson Health. "As adoption of the technology grows globally, we are building on a growing body of data and evidence showing the value of Watson in cancer care."
Today, IBM also announced that Watson for Oncology is now available to support the multi-disciplinary care of prostate cancer patients. In Watson for Oncology's ongoing training with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Watson has now been trained and released to help support physicians in their treatment of breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, ovarian, gastric and prostate cancers. By the end of the year, the technology will be available to support at least 12 cancer types, representing 80 percent of the global incidence of cancer.
"We are proud of MSK's role training Watson for Oncology, and putting an evidence-based, cognitive, clinical decision support tool in the hands of physicians around the world," said Mark G. Kris, MD, the William and Joy Ruane Chair in Thoracic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "By coupling the power of Watson with the knowledge MSK physicians have gleaned from decades of experience treating cancers, we can help physicians probe the subtleties of each person's illness, better understand the ever-growing body of oncology data, and make evidence-based treatment decisions."
A Growing Body of Evidence for Watson
Data on Watson at ASCO 2017 builds on earlier studies that have documented the evolution of the technology and demonstrated that Watson can support treatment decisions and research breakthroughs. For example:
Watson Adoption to Support Oncology Care
Today IBM announced 9 new adopters of Watson oncology offerings, which are now being used or implemented at more than 55 hospitals and health organizations around the globe. Doctors in India, China, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Bangladesh, Spain, Slovakia, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Canada and the U.S. are now using or currently implementing the system to provide information to augment their decision making. Stories from early adopters reveal how Watson can provide hope and greater confidence in treatment decisions.
The latest Watson for Oncology users include Icon Group in Australia, Grupo Angeles Servicios de Salud in Mexico, Mãe de Deus in Brazil, Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center in South Korea, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center in South Korea, Pusan National University Hospital in South Korea and Svet zdravia in Slovakia and Poland. IBM has also signed a new channel partnership with RITES Solutions to bring Watson for Oncology to hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Eastern India.
"Watson for Oncology is one example of the key technologies that will help clinicians harness the increasing amounts of data that is becoming available as both medicine and treatment become more personalized for each individual patient," said Nan Chen, the Senior Director of Research & Development and Clinical Data at Bumrungrad International Hospital. "As we treat more than half a million from over 190 countries each year, these technologies are increasingly important to provide the level of care that our patients have come to expect. One example of this is at the BIH owned Mongolian UB Songdo Hospital where general doctors routinely care for cancer patients in the absence of clinical oncology specialists. These doctors can now confidently rely on Watson for Oncology for helping them select treatment options that are supported by the high concordance rates observed."
Watson for Oncology is trained by oncologists at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and is a cognitive computing system that uses natural language processing to ingest patient data in structured and unstructured formats. The system provides physicians with treatment options for their consideration that are derived from established guidelines, the medical literature, and training from patient cases.
"Artificial Intelligence is coming of age in healthcare as technology suppliers, like IBM, make progress in the democratization of this technology," said Cynthia Burghard, research director IDC Health Insights. "The application of AI will be a major disruptor in healthcare and move the industry closer to its goal of value-based health."
In addition, at ASCO 2017 data will be presented from IBM Research and Truven Health Analytics®, part of the IBM Watson Health™ business.
IBM Health Corps Tackles Chemo Supply Chain in Africa
IBM's oncology expertise was put to work recently for a pro bono IBM Health Corps consulting initiative to address chemotherapy shortages in sub Saharan Africa, helping health officials obtain more trusted medicine at lower costs. IBM's experts designed software called ChemoQuant, which will help planners and procurement personnel at ministries of health to make more precise chemotherapy forecasts, check medicine inventories, pinpoint available suppliers, determine costs, and place medicine orders that can qualify for volume pricing discounts.
About IBM Watson Health
Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing capability representing a new era in computing. The system, delivered through the cloud, analyzes high volumes of data, understands complex questions posed in natural language, and proposes evidence-based answers. Watson continuously learns, gaining in value and knowledge over time, from previous interactions. In April 2015, the company launched IBM Watson Health and the Watson Health Core cloud platform (now Watson Platform for Health). The new unit will help improve the ability of doctors, researchers and insurers to innovate by surfacing insights from the massive amount of personal health data being created and shared daily. The Watson Platform for Health can mask patient identities and allow for information to be shared and combined with a dynamic and constantly growing aggregated view of clinical, research and social health data. For more information on IBM Watson, visit: ibm.com/watson. For more information on IBM Watson Health, visit: ibm.com/watsonhealth.
Christine Douglass
IBM Media Relations
415-535-4479
cgdouglass@us.ibm.com
SOURCE IBM Watson Health