Using data mining and OLAP to discover patterns in a database of patients with Y-chromosome deletions

The paper presents a database of published Y chromosome deletions and the results of analyzing the database with data mining techniques. The database describes 382 patients for which 177 different markers were tested: 364 of the 382 patients had deletions. Two data mining techniques, clustering and decision tree induction were used. Clustering was used to group patients according to the overall presence/absence of deletions at the tested markers. Decision trees and On-Line-Analytical-Processing (OLAP) were used to inspect the resulting clustering and look for correlations between deletion patterns, populations and the clinical picture of infertility. The results of the analysis indicate that there are correlations between deletion patterns and patient populations, as well as clinical phenotype severity.