IBM Watson for Oncology Enters China to Empower Personalized, Evidence-Based Cancer Care

On August 12, 2016, IBM and Hangzhou Cognitive Network Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Hangzhou Cognitive”) jointly announced that 21 hospitals in China had planned to adopt the IBM Watson for Oncology solution trained by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This collaboration aims to leverage cognitive computing platforms to assist Chinese physicians in delivering personalized, evidence-based cancer treatment plans.

As a key component of the strategic partnership between IBM and Hangzhou Cognitive Deep, the initial 21 participating hospitals will serve as industry benchmarks to facilitate the broader adoption of Watson for Oncology solutions in hospitals across China. This also marks Watson Health’s first partner project in the Chinese market.

Wang Tianyi, General Manager of IBM Greater China, stated in his address that cancer treatment is a major challenge facing humanity. IBM’s cognitive technologies enable machines to learn rapidly and achieve deep understanding. In April 2016, Watson Health was established, forging partnerships with numerous institutions—including hospitals, pharmacies, medical imaging companies, and insurance providers—to conduct joint research in the field of oncology, which has since made significant progress. Meanwhile, IBM hopes that its previous collaborations will offer valuable insights for China’s healthcare sector.

IBM Watson represents a fundamental shift in computing paradigms, with learning systems that continuously improve by processing vast amounts of knowledge gradually replacing programmable systems and becoming dominant. Over the past few decades, programmable systems have been one of the mainstream approaches. Built on cutting-edge research by IBM experts, IBM Watson has acquired the ability to read and understand natural language. The Watson for Oncology solution, developed by IBM, is jointly advanced in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a world-leading cancer research institution.

Watson for Oncology is capable of synthesizing vast amounts of information, including content from over 300 medical journals, more than 200 textbooks, and nearly 15 million pages of text, thereby providing recommendations on drug selection and treatment regimens. Additionally, IBM Watson can link to research and clinical guidelines that have undergone authoritative peer review within the industry. Its machine learning capabilities also enable it to continuously learn and improve over time.

In April 2015, IBM established the Watson Health division and launched the Watson Health Cloud platform. This new business unit was designed to enhance the innovative capabilities of physicians, researchers, and insurers, enabling them to derive deeper insights from the personal health data created and shared daily. The Watson Health Cloud facilitates the sharing of this information and integrates it with a dynamic and ever-growing aggregated view derived from clinical, research, and population health data.

Todd Kalyniuk, Vice President of IBM Global Watson Health and the Watson for Oncology division, stated that currently, $7.8 trillion is spent annually worldwide on healthcare and social security programs, with 30 cents of every dollar being wasted. Issues such as suboptimal accuracy in treatment plans, less than half of medications having evidence-based support, and the inability to address challenges like population aging have long plagued humanity.

The arrival of IBM Watson comes at a time when China is facing an increasingly severe cancer challenge. For China’s 1.4 billion people, cancer has now become the leading cause of death. In 2015 alone, there were 4.3 million new cancer cases in China, with more than 2.8 million cancer-related deaths. It is estimated that approximately 12,000 new cancer diagnoses are made in China every day. In the future, faced with a large volume of emerging oncology cases, physicians will face mounting pressure to maintain adherence to optimal treatment practices.

IBM’s cognitive systems hold a distinct advantage over traditional programming-based computing systems by virtue of three core capabilities: understanding, reasoning, and learning. IBM Watson for Oncology aims to help oncologists combat cancer—a leading cause of death accounting for 25% of all fatalities—thereby improving global health outcomes. This is achieved through the Watson Health Cloud, an innovative platform built on pillars including life sciences, oncology genomics, medical imaging, healthcare management, and payment and value-based care.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which co-developed an oncology solutions platform with IBM, is one of the earliest cancer treatment institutions in the United States and the largest private cancer center nationwide. For a century, it has been dedicated to patient care, research innovation, and advancing the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is designated by the National Cancer Institute as one of the Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction held by only 41 institutions across the country. Furthermore, as one of the premier cancer centers in the United States, it ranked second in the field of cancer care in the 2016 “Best Hospitals” rankings.

Dr. Mark Kris of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center stated, “We continuously train Watson, much as we teach students in medical oncology and surgical oncology.” Watson has absorbed information from more than 300 medical journals, over 200 textbooks, and more than 15 million pages of related materials. Furthermore, Watson has learned how to extract key terms from patient medical records and identify the most suitable personalized treatment plans from vast databases.

According to IBM, Watson’s oncology solutions can assist Chinese patients in at least the following three distinct areas:

Hangzhou Cognitive Computing Localizes IBM Watson in China to Assist Physicians in Developing Personalized Treatment Plans

Mr. Tu Zhen, CEO of Hangzhou Cognitive Network Technology Co., Ltd., stated: “Hangzhou Cognitive is eager to bring the Watson for Oncology solution to every oncologist in China. We believe that Watson has the potential to transform the way physicians in China and around the world treat cancer. It can provide insights into treatment options, enabling doctors to develop personalized treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of each individual patient.”

In this collaboration, Hangzhou Cognitive, which jointly introduced Watson to China with IBM, is the designated local operational service provider for IBM Watson for Oncology in China. Hangzhou Cognitive was established to bring cognitive computing technology to China to address the challenge of cancer. Hangzhou Cognitive will provide sales, services, and customer support, including localized solutions. Additionally, it will offer partial Chinese translation support to ensure the effective delivery of Watson’s diagnostic and treatment insights, including drug labels and clinical practice guidelines. Furthermore, Hangzhou Cognitive will localize medication guidelines in accordance with Chinese pharmaceutical regulations.

Hangzhou Cognitive will leverage its partnerships with multiple remote consultation system service providers, combined with its knowledge and resources regarding regional, medical community, and public health needs, to better promote and popularize the Watson for Oncology solution in China.

Deborah DiSanzo, General Manager of IBM Watson Health, stated, “IBM is committed to partnering with Hangzhou Cognitive Computing to introduce Watson Health’s technologies and capabilities to the Chinese market for the first time. Healthcare leaders in the Asia-Pacific region are at the forefront of global efforts to advance cancer treatment. The first 21 Chinese hospitals to adopt the Watson for Oncology solution will have the opportunity to join the ranks of world-class institutions, continuously empowering their physicians with Watson’s robust capabilities and extensive expertise.”

“The widespread adoption of IBM Watson in China demonstrates its significant market momentum, a strength we have witnessed among healthcare professionals around the world, all thanks to IBM’s unique cognitive computing platform.”

Nancy Fabozzi, Chief Analyst of the Transformational Health practice at Frost & Sullivan, stated, “As the world’s most populous country, China is undergoing rapid transformation in its healthcare sector while facing increasingly severe challenges from cancer and other diseases. Given the unique nature of cancer, optimal treatment typically requires personalized, evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Watson for Oncology has demonstrated significant potential in helping to achieve the best possible cancer treatment outcomes, thereby effectively enhancing the capability and efficiency of cancer care in China.”

Regarding the introduction of IBM Watson into China for oncology treatment services, Jiao Shunchang, Director of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, stated that his most profound impression from trialing Watson was its significant assistance to physicians through its evidence-based medicine database and high-efficiency query capabilities. This technology liberates doctors from the burden of memorizing vast amounts of information, allowing them to focus on medical diagnosis. Furthermore, Watson holds substantial significance for teaching and scientific research, offering broad application potential in multidisciplinary collaboration.

Regarding expectations for IBM Watson for Oncology, Director Jiao expressed hope that the system would become more localized by incorporating more information related to cancer in China, believing that Chinese physicians at large will come to appreciate Watson.

The first 21 Chinese hospitals to adopt the Watson for Oncology solution are, in order: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Wuxi People’s Hospital, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Third Central Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Xuanwu Hospital, Shanghai Punan Hospital, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center, Guangzhou Panyu He Xian Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, Fuzhou Second Hospital, Fujian Provincial Hospital, Ningbo No. 4 Hospital, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Dalian University, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and Zhejiang Tongde Hospital.

Hangzhou Cognitive Network Technology Co., Ltd., established in January 2016, is the designated local operational service provider for IBM Watson for Oncology (Watson Oncology Solution) in China.

The company was founded with the initial aim of leveraging cognitive computing capabilities in China to combat cancer, while providing sales, services, and customer support, including the localization of Watson Insights for the Chinese market. At its inception, the Watson for Oncology solution was available only in English; Hangzhou Cognitive is now localizing the language interface to enable broader participation by Chinese physicians. Hangzhou Cognitive is collaborating with local hospitals and medical research institutions to fulfill its mission of bringing artificial intelligence innovations into the healthcare sector. The company aims to enhance diagnostic and treatment standards, promote the development of clinical research, and shape more standardized, precise, and personalized treatment regimens.

IBM Watson is the first commercially available cognitive computing platform, representing a new era in computing. Delivered via the cloud, the system can analyze vast amounts of data, understand complex questions posed in natural language, and provide evidence-based answers. Watson continuously learns from past interactions, thereby accumulating value and knowledge over time.

In April 2015, IBM established the Watson Health division and launched the Watson Health Cloud platform. This new business unit is designed to enhance the innovative capabilities of physicians, researchers, and insurers, enabling them to derive deeper insights from the personal health data generated and shared daily. The Watson Health Cloud facilitates the sharing of this information and integrates it with dynamic, ever-growing aggregated views derived from clinical, research, and population health data.