I've long thought that machine learning would be a great tool for detecting cancer and other diseases. There is a small but growing body of research to support

I've long thought that machine learning would be a great tool for detecting cancer and other diseases. There is a small but growing body of research to support this idea, but very few practical implementations. [1] [2] [3] Ultimately detection is an issue of pattern recognition, and computers are really good at that. The two biggest barriers are the amount of data that needs to be collected and annotated, and the sensitivity of medical data. If someone reputable were to start a large scale data collection effort, we could make huge strides toward identifying some of the key cancer indicators. It would even benefit people who can't afford top quality medical care (servers are cheaper to deploy than doctors). Cancer is the ultimate medical opponent. It comes in so many forms and can change into so many more. Many cancers spend 10-20 years as harmless lumps of cells before doing any serious damage. It seems like the best bet is to every tool available to find them long before they become a problem. [1] http://cs229.stanford.edu/proj2011/Planey-Machine%20Learning%20Approaches%20to%20Breast%20Cancer%20Diagnosis%20and%20Treatment%20Response%20Prediction.pdf http://cs229.stanford.edu/proj2011/Planey-Machine%20Learning... [2] http://www.mendeley.com/research/data-analytic-strategy-protein-biomarker-discovery-profiling-high-dimensional-proteomic-data-cancer/ http://www.mendeley.com/research/data-analytic-strategy-prot... [3] http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-11/new-computer-model-examines-breast-cancer-better-doctor http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-11/new-computer-m...