Elekta Collaborates with IBM Watson Health to Bring AI to Oncology

Elekta (Stockholm, Sweden) is collaborating with IBM Watson Health to offer Watson for Oncology with its cancer care solutions. Beginning in early 2018, Elekta will sell Watson for Oncology as a clinical decision support solution, paired within its digital cancer care solutions, including the MOSAIQ Oncology Information System.

Elekta offers equipment and software for the treatment of cancer and brain disorders. Its treatment solutions and oncology informatics portfolios are designed to enhance the delivery of radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, and to drive cost efficiency in clinical workflows.

Watson for Oncology was developed by IBM in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York. It can summarize the key medical attributes of a patient and provide information to oncologists to assist them in delivering treatment options based on training from MSK oncologists. Watson for Oncology ranks treatment options based on peer reviewed studies curated by MSK and provides a large corpus of medical literature, drawing on more than 300 medical journals, over 200 textbooks, and close to 15 million pages of text for providing insights into different treatment options.

“Oncologists around the world rely on MOSAIQ to support the treatment pathway, and we are eager to extend Watson for Oncology to more physicians and patients globally through Elekta's sophisticated digital oncology solutions,” said Lisa Rometty, vice president of oncology and life sciences, IBM Watson Health. “We are proud to bring the evidence based clinical decision support of Watson for Oncology together with Elekta’s extensive expertise in the oncology EHR and radiation therapy field.”

“Joining forces with IBM Watson Health positions Elekta as the first radiation therapy company to offer capabilities that combine conventional health information systems with artificial intelligence and cognitive cloud computing,” said Richard Hausmann, CEO of Elekta. “Our goal is to bring cutting edge artificial intelligence technology to the cancer care continuum, including treatment planning, enabling evidence-based treatment recommendations for every patient regardless of where they are treated. We are excited to be working with IBM Watson Health to achieve this shared vision.”