EXPLORING NOVEL CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENTS USING THE WWW

A JAVA application, The Oncologists Workbench, which allows oncologist s to estimate the influence of new cancer treatment schedules is being developed. The requirement fbr a rational approach to the design of c hemotherapeutic regimens is well established [1]. Our prototype allows oncologists using the World Wide Web (WWW) to graphically construct t reatment regimens while considering various toxic side effects. A simu lation engine makes predictions of tumour growth based on previous cli nical knowledge of response to treatment. The oncologist can then exam ine the predicted tumour response information with a specially constru cted interactive viewer. These interlinked tools allow oncologists to develop and predict the effectiveness of novel chemotherapeutic regime ns. This work is part of an ongoing collaboration between oncologists, mathematicians and computer scientists to provide tools for improving cancer chemotherapy. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.