Precision Medicine News

AI Prediction Tool Identifies Chemotherapy Drug Toxicity Risk

A new prediction tool uses artificial intelligence and genetics to predict the risk for complications from chemotherapy drug toxicity in patients with leukemia.

AI chemotherapy risk prediction pharmacogenomics

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By Shania Kennedy

- Researchers from the University of Florida have created a predictive analytics tool capable of identifying acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients’ risk for complications from chemotherapy drug toxicity, according to a study published last week in JCO Precision Oncology.

ALL is one of the most common types of leukemia in children and requires intensive chemotherapy, which can cause chemotherapy drug toxicity or adverse side effects that result from treatment. These side effects, such as heart or nerve damage, are often serious or life-threatening and result in additional disease burden, as ALL survivors are at a higher risk of chronic health conditions and early death.

“The survival rates for this type of leukemia are generally good, but one of the biggest clinical challenges for these patients is toxicity that affects their quality of life because of the intensive chemotherapy drugs they’re given,” said Jatinder Lamba, PhD, study leader and associate dean of research and graduate education and a professor in the UF College of Pharmacy, in a press release discussing the research findings. “Our goal [with this research] was to build a genetic toxicity score that can predict whether a patient has a higher or lower risk of toxicity when taking these medications.”