The new clinical genomics analytics technology provides medical personnel and healthcare management with a broader overview of the treatment processes performed and their appropriateness, as well as insight into the effects of the care - both in terms of clinical efficacy and economic viability.

The project is based on the IBM Clinical Genomics Analysis Platform (Cli-G), which serves to integrate and analyze available clinical knowledge and guidelines and correlate them with patient data. Developed by scientists at IBM Research - Haifa in collaboration with IBM healthcare expert in Italy, the system analyzes the individual characteristics of the patient and the specific profile of the disease, associating this information with knowledge derived from the analysis of previously treated clinical cases and specific guidelines as defined by the Rete Oncologica Lombarda (ROL) oncological expert panel.

At the clinical level, the project focused on rare tumors and, specifically, on sarcomas and cancers of the head and neck. The Institute specializes in these areas and has been recognized as the coordinating body of the National Rare Cancer Network by the Ministry of Health. Each year, 1.8 to 5 people in 100,000 are diagnosed with these types of cancer, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, making advances in the treatment a vital step forward.

"The results from our first year of using the Cli-G solution offer unique insight into the medical practice," noted Boaz Carmeli, senior researcher and project leader for the Clinical Genomics solution at IBM Research - Haifa. "A deep examination of the differences between what is needed based on medical knowledge and practice, and what is actually done by the physicians, shows that our healthcare experts tend to do more for patients than recommended by the guidelines."

Thanks to extensive retrospective analysis of the available clinical data, the system has made it possible to highlight and automatically classify deviations from guideline recommendations. By further studying the data collected, the scientists and healthcare experts hope to gain insight into why physicians deviate from guideline recommendations and what models can help improve the treatments and care of patients. Cli-G has also been instrumental in identifying gaps and missing functionality in the current IT system, thereby allowing the Institute and the region to plan IT improvements and better adapt the new model to physician's needs.

"Today, the clinical decision is a complex process, and having a system that can analyze large volumes of available information facilitates more patient-focused clinical decisions," stated Dr. Marco Pierotti, Scientific Director of the INT Cancer Institute. "By providing our doctors with valuable information on treatments that have had the best results in the treatment of patients with similar clinical characteristics, we can help facilitate their work and, therefore, the end result of the treatment."

Pierotti's vision is to extend the system to consider additional clinical cases and incorporate the medical knowledge available at other healthcare facilities on a regional and national basis. The Institute is hoping to expand the project and use the IBM technologies to collect data, analyze practices, and share deep insight with other interested centers in the Lombardy Oncology Network—a network of 14 medical centers in the Lombardy region and the National Rare Cancer Network - a cross-Italian national effort to improve treatment for patients with rare cancer.

The "Innovation Award ICT in Health" sponsored by the ICT Observatory on Health of the School of Management, Politecnico di Milano was presented to the Clinical Genomics team at a gala event held on Tuesday, May 7 at the Politecnico di Milano.

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