AI-assisted digital twin could predict spinal column fractures in cancer patients

In the US, over 1.6 million cases of cancer are diagnosed annually and around 10 per cent of those patients experience spinal metastasis. One of the biggest clinical concerns patients face is the risk of spinal fractures due to these tumours.

“Spinal fracture increases the risk of patient death by about 15 per cent,” said Soheil Soghrati, co-author of the study and associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at The Ohio State University. “By predicting the outcome of these fractures, our research offers medical experts the opportunity to design better treatment strategies, and help patients make better-informed decisions.”

While many of the changes the body undergoes when exposed to cancerous lesions are still a mystery, with the power of computational modelling, scientists can get a better idea of what’s happening to the spine, said Soghrati.