Psoriasis: study lays foundation for new treatment strategy

The precise choice of treatment for breast cancer depends upon the status of the hormone receptors (for oestrogen and progesterone). Their conventional determination by means of immunohistochemistry (IHC) is associated with a certain error rate, which can be reduced by adding genomic data. Even conventional statistics can bring about a notable improvement but now it is possible to use decision theory to optimally combine diagnostic findings, particularly where they are contradictory. This is the finding of a recent study conducted by MedUni Vienna under the leadership of Wolfgang Schreiner from the Center for Medical Statistics, Informatics and Intelligent Systems (CeMSIIS). The methodology has applications way beyond breast cancer and can be deployed in all circumstances where it is necessary to draw conclusions from many findings at the same time, even if the findings are contradictory. Schreiner explains: "Driverless cars use multiple sensors to check whether they can travel freely. It can be that one of the sensors detects an obstruction and requests emergency braking, while another sensor fails to detect any danger in the same situation.