Assistance Software for Personalized Cancer Therapy

Quick and Efficient Decision-Making for Treatment

Customer

ICCAS – Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery

Project partner

voice INTER connect GmbH

Project duration

December 2019 – November 2022

Technologies

TypeScript, RxJS, ViDaLa

In collaboration with the ICCAS Research Center at the University of Leipzig’s Faculty of Medicine and the Dresden-based company voice INTER connect GmbH, we developed a demonstrator application as part of the research project “MPM – Models for Personalized Medicine,” designed to assist medical professionals in making treatment decisions for cancer patients.

Making fact-based and rapid decisions in the tumor board

The Innovation Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery (ICCAS) develops computer-assisted, integrative technologies and intelligent assistance systems for future clinical applications. The joint research project, which is part of the research area “Model-Based Medicine and the Intelligent Operating Room,” involved the design and implementation of assistance software for personalized treatment decisions in the tumor board.

Fact-based decision-making

Experts discuss treatment decisions based on relevant information from the extensive database.

A variety of information is brought to the interdisciplinary case conference in cancer treatment: patient data and lab results, imaging data, and information about the patient’s living conditions. Based on medical data and studies, current treatment guidelines, and clinical experience, specialists from various fields determine the best treatment option for each case. The experts discuss the case and document their decision regarding the treatment. This takes just a few minutes, after which the next case is discussed.

This is where our application comes in: it is designed to support a smooth, efficient workflow during the meeting. To achieve this, it is essential that relevant, contextually necessary information is available as completely as possible. Furthermore, crucial facts must not be overlooked amid the vast amount of data.

Find information quickly

The sleek, multimodal interface makes it easy to find relevant data quickly and efficiently.

Provide assistance

The application supports case discussions with patient-specific recommendations.

User-centered UX and UI design for improved focus

As part of the project, we developed a software framework for a formalized visualization design, which served as the basis for the Tumor Board assistance application. The application’s simple, multimodal interface, featuring an intuitive search function, facilitates the quick and targeted retrieval of relevant data. Users interact primarily via voice commands. Design components are clearly organized, and the controls are minimal and redundant to voice control. For voice interaction, voice INTER connect GmbH developed a speech recognition system, the results of which we used to display the information. Additionally, the deliberately sparing use of decorative elements accommodates the diversity of the content. Data is available on the patient, from examinations, as well as from studies and comparable cases, retrieved from various systems and databases.

Minimalist user interface

The interface design is characterized by a clear structure, minimal controls, and sparing use of decorative elements.

Analog concept development

We developed the appropriate information architecture using paper prototyping.

Practical experience and in-depth insights

Thanks to the application, specialists on the tumor board can discuss patient treatment quickly and effectively. This helps maintain a high throughput during tumor board meetings. We were finally able to present the finished demonstrator to a group of medical specialists and project participants.

We are eager to see how the assistance software will be used in the future and are pleased with the input that this in-depth exploration of medical research and user-friendly voice control has provided.