Owkin, a startup that deploys artificial intelligence (AI) and Federated Learning technologies to augment medical research and enable scientific discoveries, presented findings in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) with Cleveland Clinic at the 2021 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference.

Illustration courtesy of Cleveland Clinic


September 24, 2021 — Owkin, a startup that deploys artificial intelligence (AI) and Federated Learning technologies to augment medical research and enable scientific discoveries, presented findings in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) with Cleveland Clinic at the 2021 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) conference. The collaborative research leverages Cleveland Clinic’s high-quality datasets and world class medical research and Owkin’s pioneering technologies and research platform.

Cleveland Clinic researchers, led by Federico Aucejo, M.D., Director of the Liver Cancer Program and Surgical Director of the Liver Tumor Clinic, have collaborated with Owkin to develop and validate a deep learning model that predicts survival and outcome of HCC patients following liver transplantation. This was performed on 298 whole-slide images stained with haematoxylin/eosin and clinical data from HCC patients who had a liver transplant at Cleveland Clinic. 

The findings showed the deep learning model trained on histopathology data predicted recurrence among transplant patients both in the whole cohort and in subgroups of patients treated with or without loco-regional therapy prior to transplantation. These results were comparable to a separate model that incorporated clinical, biological, and pathological data. Most significantly, combinations of both histological and clinical models outperformed scoring systems currently used in the literature. Taken together, this study demonstrates the prognostic power of deep learning applied to histology slides to predict recurrence of HCC patients following liver transplantation.

Machine learning technology is emerging to revolutionize the world we live in. Its application in patient populations, risk stratification and personalized medicine is expected to enhance safety and allow for  a more cost-effective healthcare environment. In line with this, partnerships and alliances among healthcare networks and the tech industry will be instrumental to paving the way towards this paradigm change,” Aucejo said. “This collaboration resulted in the development of an algorithm to predict outcome in patients undergoing liver transplantation with HCC by scrutinizing histopathology digital slides. This approach proved to be superior to predict tumor recurrence than conventional metrics.”

“Our collaborative research aims to advance the prediction of HCC patient outcomes and identify prognostic markers following treatment. The richness and uniqueness of Cleveland Clinic’s research cohorts, together with Owkin’s extensive expertise in developing predictive AI models, can pave the way for breakthrough, forward-thinking science and will allow the opportunity to further develop our collaboration in future research areas,” Meriem Sefta, Ph.D., Chief Data and Clinical Solutions said.

HCC is amongst the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the world, representing ~90% of primary liver cancers. Currently, liver transplantation remains the best treatment for cirrhotic patients with early-stage HCC, however tumor recurrence following liver transplant is observed in 15-20% of cases, which correlates with poor survivorship. Moreover, there are currently no reliable histological markers of relapse-free survival in HCC patients following liver transplant, which is critical in predicting patient prognosis.

Building on these results, additional deep-learning models and multimodal models developed on medical imaging, molecular, and genomics data, in addition to clinical and histopathological data, will shed further insights into diagnostic and biomarkers that may predict HCC prognosis and survivorship following treatment to improve patient care and long-term outcomes.

For more information: www.owkin.com


Related Content

News | Radiology Business

May 26, 2023 — HIMSS has appointed two technology executives at the helm as chair and vice chair of the HIMSS Board of ...

Time May 26, 2023
arrow
News | Computed Tomography (CT)

May 26, 2023 — GE HealthCare, a leading medical technology innovator, announced today its largest ever CT deal in the ...

Time May 26, 2023
arrow
News | Breast Density

May 25, 2023 — Researchers from the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) and University of California, San Francisco confirmed ...

Time May 25, 2023
arrow
News | Oncology Information Management Systems (OIMS)

May 24, 2023 — RaySearch Laboratories AB announced that the oncology information system RayCare* (* subject to ...

Time May 24, 2023
arrow
News | Artificial Intelligence

May 24, 2023 — Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the use of large language models (LLMs) powered by ...

Time May 24, 2023
arrow
News | ASTRO

May 23, 2023 — More than 9 in 10 radiation oncologists report that their practices face clinical staff shortages ...

Time May 23, 2023
arrow
News | Radiation Oncology

May 23, 2023 — ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc., a leading innovator in the field of surgical robotics, today announced that ...

Time May 23, 2023
arrow
News | Radiation Oncology

May 22, 2023 — Physicians and scientists from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center will discuss the latest ...

Time May 22, 2023
arrow
News | Artificial Intelligence

May 19, 2023 — The latest version of ChatGPT passed a radiology board-style exam, highlighting the potential of large ...

Time May 19, 2023
arrow
News | Computed Tomography (CT)

May 18, 2023 — Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, announced the launch of the Philips CT 3500, a new ...

Time May 18, 2023
arrow
Subscribe Now