Understanding the Relationship Between Interactive Optimisation and Visual Analytics in the Context of Prostate...

Area of Science:

• Operations Research
• Computer Science
• Visual Analytics

Background:

• Traditional optimization relies on "black-box" solvers, often requiring human intervention for complex problems.
• Interactive optimization workflows mirror the visual analytics sense-making loop, suggesting a unified approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the parallels between interactive optimization and visual analytics.
• To propose a problem-solving loop analogous to the sense-making loop for interactive optimization.
• To evaluate a prototype interactive optimization tool for prostate brachytherapy treatment planning.

Main Methods:

• Developed a prototype interactive optimization tool for prostate brachytherapy, supporting focal therapy.
• Conducted semi-structured interviews with seven radiation oncology professionals in two stages.
• Analyzed the potential of interactive optimization to assist in creating customized prostate cancer treatment plans.

Main Results:

• Interactive optimization can be framed as a visual analytics task.
• The prototype tool supports focal therapy in brachytherapy, targeting tumor cells directly.
• Radiation oncology professionals' preferences and trust in novel approaches were assessed.

Conclusions:

• Interactive optimization offers a promising framework for complex problem-solving, particularly in healthcare.
• The developed tool has the potential to improve the efficiency and personalization of prostate cancer treatment planning.
• Further research is needed to fully integrate interactive optimization into clinical practice and enhance trust in automated solutions.