Roche Utilizes Artificial Intelligence to Identify Lung Cancer Patients Following Positive Trial Results

Roche Holding AG has achieved a significant victory in a recent study, as its lung cancer medication outperformed a conventional treatment. In light of this success, the Swiss pharmaceutical company is now utilizing artificial intelligence to identify individuals who can reap the advantages of the drug.

When Roche’s Alecen was given after surgery to remove lung tumors, it reduced the risk of either the cancer coming back or dying by 76% compared with standard chemotherapy, according to the results of a primary analysis of a study published on Wednesday. The drug could “potentially change the course of this disease,” Roche Chief Medical Officer Levi Garraway said in a statement.

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However, finding patients to treat can be difficult: The study looked at the effects on people with a defect in a gene called ALK, which is found in only about 4 to 5 percent of lung cancer patients. Most of them are younger and less likely to have smoked than typical lung cancer patients, and are often undiagnosed early.

To solve the problem, Roche is using artificial intelligence in collaboration with Israeli technology company Medial EarlySign Ltd. to help doctors decide when to use CT scans. This helps find tumors before they spread and while the necessary surgery is still possible, said Charlie Fuchs, Roche’s director of drug development for oncology and hematology.

“Sometimes when you really use deep data algorithms, you might find things that identify people who are non-smokers and still at risk,” Fuchs said in an interview. “We hope that more patients will be found in time and that they will benefit from this.”

Roche has announced that it will submit the results of the Alecensa study to the authorities for approval. The full results will be presented on Saturday at the European Society for Medical Oncology meeting in Madrid. Alecensa is already approved in the US, Europe, Japan and China for patients with ALK-positive metastatic lung cancer.

Analysts forecast that Alecensa will generate 1.56 billion Swiss francs ($1.75 billion) this year. That it would be a breakthrough drug, even if it treats such a small percentage of lung cancer patients, shows that effective drugs don’t need to serve a large group of patients to be scientific and financial successes, Fuchs said.

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