Artificial intelligence applications in inflammatory bowel disease:Emerging technologies and future directions

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a complex and multifaceted disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that is increasing in incidence worldwide and associated with significant morbidity.The rapid accumulation of large datasets from electronic health records,high-definition multi-omics(including genomics,proteomics,transcriptomics,and metagenomics),and imaging modalities(endoscopy and endomicroscopy)have provided powerful tools to unravel novel mechanistic insights and help address unmet clinical needs in IBD.Although the application of artificial intelligence(AI)methods has facilitated the analysis,integration,and interpretation of large datasets in IBD,significant heterogeneity in AI methods,datasets,and clinical outcomes and the need for unbiased prospective validations studies are current barriers to incorporation of AI into clinical practice.The purpose of this review is to summarize the most recent advances in the application of AI and machine learning technologies in the diagnosis and risk prediction,assessment of disease severity,and prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with IBD.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis is associated with cancer overall survival

BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitor-mediated colitis(IMC)is a common adverse event following immune checkpoint inhibitor(ICI)therapy for cancer.IMC has been associated with improved overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS),but data are limited to a single site and predominantly for melanoma patients.AIM To determine the association of IMC with OS and PFS and identify clinical predictors of IMC.METHODS We performed a retrospective case-control study including 64 ICI users who developed IMC matched according to age,sex,ICI class,and malignancy to a cohort of ICI users without IMC,from May 2011 to May 2020.Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression,we determined association of presence of IMC on OS,PFS,and clinical predictors of IMC.Kaplan-Meier curves were gen-erated to compare OS and PFS between ICI users with and without IMC.RESULTS IMC was significantly associated with a higher OS(mean 24.3 mo vs 17.7 mo,P=0.05)but not PFS(mean 13.7 mo vs 11.9 mo,P=0.524).IMC was significantly associated with OS greater than 12 mo[Odds ratio(OR)2.81,95%confidence interval(CI)1.17-6.77].Vitamin D supplementation was significantly associated with increased risk of IMC(OR 2.48,95%CI 1.01-6.07).CONCLUSION IMC was significantly associated with OS greater than 12 mo.In contrast to prior work,we found that vitamin D use may be a risk factor for IMC.

Updates in the use of radiotherapy in the management of primary and locally-advanced penile cancer

Objective:Penile cancer is a rare malignancy in most developed countries,but may represent a significant oncologic challenge in certain African,Asian,and South American regions.Various treatment approaches have been described in penile cancer,including radio-therapy.This review aimed to provide a synopsis of radiotherapy use in penile cancer management and the associated toxicities.In addition,we aimed to discuss palliative radiation for metastases to the penis and provide a brief overview of how tumor biology may assist with treatment decision-making.Methods:Peer-reviewed manuscripts related to the treatment of penile cancer with radio-therapy were evaluated by a PubMed search(1960-2021)in order to assess its role in the definitive and adjuvant settings.Selected manuscripts were also evaluated for descriptions of radiation-related toxicity.Results:Though surgical resection of the primary is an excellent option for tumor control,select patients may be treated with organ-sparing radiotherapy by either external beam radiation or brachytherapy.Data from randomized controlled trials comparing radiotherapy and surgery are lacking,and thus management is frequently determined by institutional practice patterns and available expertise.Similarly,this lack of clinical trial data leads to divergence in opinion regarding lymph node management.This is further complicated in that many cited studies evaluating lymph node radiotherapy used non-modern radiotherapy delivery techniques.Groin toxicity from either surgery or radiotherapy remains a challenging problem and further risk assessment is needed to guide intensification with multi-modal therapy.Intrinsic differences in tumor biology,based on human papillomavirus infection,may help aid future prognostic and predictive models in patient risk stratification or treatment approach.Conclusion:Penile cancer is a rare disease with limited clinical trial data driving the majority of treatment decisions.As a result,the goal of management is to effectively treat the disease while balancing the importance of quality of life through integrated multidisciplinary discussions.More international collaborations and interrogations of penile cancer biology are needed to better understand this disease and improve patient outcomes.