How Big Data Can Help Beat Cancer

Before he was assassinated, President Kennedy set the nation on what would soon be called a “moonshot.” The goal was to land an American on the surface of the moon before the decade was out. The program captured the imagination of the world, and brought many “space age” technological advances to the consumer public, everything from Tang to Velcro to advances in communications to countless other things this generation takes for granted.

In his most recent – and final – state of the union address, President Obama said the country that cures cancer “once and for all” should be the United States. He echoed Vice President Joe Biden, calling it the 21st-century moonshot. Like the moon landing, it seems impossible. But the truth is, that cure really is something that could become a reality.

Cancer Death Rate Continues Steady Drop

Cancer mortality is down 20 percent in the past 20 years. Even patients who are not cured are living longer, because of advancements in treatment and, more than anything else, earlier detection. Unfortunately, thanks to important medical privacy laws, researchers are hindered from accessing all the data that could help them get closer to a cure.

Obstacles to Gathering More Information

Information can be shared if the patient allows it in advance, but gathering informed consent from enough patients would prove problematic, if not impossible, using conventional methods. As a result, some research that could be done is not being done, and some facts that have been discovered have not been shared. No one really knows how much is left on the proverbial cutting room floor, but it’s possible the cure – or the road to the cure – lies in cataloging and connecting that information. That’s where Big Data comes in. Using data analysis researchers can unlock much of that information, make better patient outcome predictions and better customize treatment, so the One Size Fits None approach becomes a truly customized cancer-fighting plan.

How Big Data Can Help Defeat Cancer

Big Data can employ information such as genetics, family history, and other specific but obscure information while also allowing the patient’s personal choices to inform treatment.

One of the most important facets of big data-driven medical breakthroughs is in connecting the dots on seemingly “weird” cancer cases, those resisting traditional treatment or patients who, once cured, seem to relapse for no apparent reason.

The predictive power of Big Data could also assist in predicting the best treatment options for specific patients before treatment begins. This advancement combines the data analyzing capability of big data with its predictive ability connecting specific genetic traits of the patient with treatments that work best for that person. Taken together, employing big data may be the x-factor researchers need to accomplish this moonshot for the 21st century.

Roman Temkin is a real estate developer from NYC.