New AI Tool Helps Predict A Deadly Medical Condition

Researchers have created a new AI tool to predict secondary heart attacks in people with cancer.

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation, while very effective, can harm the heart. It’s called cardiotoxicity and is a common side effect. Once you have one, you are at risk for a second heart attack.

Scientists from the University of Leicester in England have pioneered an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to predict the risk for people with cancer. The tool, called ONCO-ACS, uses AI to combine cancer-related factors with clinical data to predict the risk of another heart attack, major bleeding, or death within six months. The researchers analyzed data of nearly 50,000 people with cancer across England, Sweden,and Switzerland and published their findings in The Lancet. Having this knowledge can help healthcare professionals tailor treatments for this patient population.

Florian A. Wenzl, M.D., a University of Leicester Honorary fellow and first author on the paper, said: "Cancer patients with heart attacks have long been neglected in clinical research, despite being one of the most challenging groups we see in cardiology.”

This could be a game-changer for oncologists, cardiologists, and the patients they treat. According to the Lancet article, this is the “largest study on risk assessment in patients with cancer and acute coronary syndrome to date.”

"Now this new tool is able to give doctors reliable information to tailor treatment and balance the benefits and harms," Dr. Wenzl added, in a news release.

Cardiotoxicity risk is higher if you are taking certain medications or undergoing therapies, such as radiation therapy to the chest, according to the Cleveland Clinic, so it’s a good idea to ask your oncologist about the risk of heart damage, irregular heart rhythms, a change in blood pressure, or heart rate, before you start a new therapy. For the most part, it’s worth the risk to eradicate cancer.