Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Health

Cancer algorithm uses game theory to double survival time

Using algorithms to monitor cancer evolution and apply game theory to their treatment has doubled the survival time of men with advanced prostate cancer

By Andy Coghlan

7 March 2018

Cancer cells

Two prostate cancer cells in the final stage of cell division

Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library

APPROACHING cancer treatment as a game has doubled the survival time of men with advanced prostate cancer. This achievement could mark the start of using game theory to target a range of cancers more cleverly.

“This approach is elegant and exciting, and shows real promise to delay treatment failure,” says at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

People with cancer aren’t usually killed by their initial tumour, but by the rapidly evolving secondary tumours that occur once the disease has spread. To…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop