Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Establishment and Characterization of Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma and Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: June 2, 2023
Adequacy and Effectiveness of Watson For Oncology in the Treatment of Thyroid Carcinoma
Hyeok Jun Yun1, Hee Jun Kim1, Soo Young Kim1
1Department of Surgery, Institute of Refractory Thyroid Cancer, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Background:
IBM's Watson for Oncology (WFO) is an artificial intelligence tool that trains by acquiring data from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and learns from test cases and experts. This study aimed to analyze the adequacy and effectiveness of WFO in determining the treatment method for patients with thyroid carcinoma.
Materials And Methods:
We retrospectively enrolled 50 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent surgery in 2018 and entered their clinical data into WFO. The WFO treatment recommendations were compared with the surgical procedures and recommended treatments performed according to the Korean Thyroid Endocrine Surgery Association guidelines.
Results:
The overall concordance rate between WFO-recommended treatments and actual surgical treatments was 48%, and for patients with stage I, II, and III disease, these rates were 52.4, 50, and 16.7%, respectively. A lower concordance rate was observed with respect to treatment for advanced thyroid cancer.
Conclusion:
WFO is a useful clinical aid but must be used with caution. A surgeon's decision takes precedence over WFO recommendations in the treatment of advanced thyroid cancer.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Treatment Resistant Cancers
Tumor Immunotherapy
Bioequivalence of Drugs: Drugs with Multiple Indications
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...

