Predictive Analytics Applications Are Improving Cancer Treatment

A decade ago, when Dr. Debra Patt was starting her professional career, the oncologist would use her medical training — plus paper, a pen and a calculator — to determine the best course of treatment when writing chemotherapy orders.

Now, she enters details such as patients’ height and weight and the characteristics of their cancers into an electronic health record. Patt then uses analytics tools to process that information and guide her next steps with data-driven precision.