By IRAD DEUTSCH AND DR. DANIEL VOROBIOF, Feb 22, 2022
For data to be truly valuable, it must take into consideration all the facets of the patient’s life. That will allow researchers to uncover new patterns in cancer prognosis, diagnosis and treatment.
Cancer research is one of the mostly heavily invested areas of medical research, with more than $5 billion spent on exploring and developing new therapeutics and treatment options in the U.S. annually. Given that more than 1.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. every year, this research is critical to prolong survival and improve quality of life for patients.
While a significant element of cancer research relies on patient data, much of the available data is limited in quantity and scope. Currently, this type of information is primarily obtained from labs or clinical trials, limiting analyses to small cohorts of patients, which significantly affects the results obtained. Additionally, these controlled environments can produce synthetic outcomes and data that may not be reflective of real-life situations.
