Information processing method for disease stratification and assessment of disease progressing
First Claim
1. An information processing method for the stratification of a disease, and for the assessment of the disease'"'"'s progression, comprising the steps of:
- (a) recording a time series of observations for a plurality of variables obtained from a plurality of patients who share the disease;
(b) entering and storing those observations as a data set in a computer, wherein the computer performs the subsequent steps as automated computations;
(c) selecting, for subsequent analysis, a subset of the data set, wherein the subset is based on patient demographic information or prior treatment history;
(d) stratifying the disease by clustering patients into strata, wherein the strata are based on the shapes of curves which represent the progression of said observations over time;
(e) using the strata created in step (d) or step (g) to align, truncate, or extend each time series so that data points compared in step (f) correspond to a similar disease stage for all patients;
(f) for each pair of patients, comparing the aligned time series to determine a measure of the mathematical distance between them; and
(g) refining the stratification of the disease by assigning the patients to clusters based on the mathematical distances determined in step (f), such that each cluster corresponds to a stratum of the disease.
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Abstract
A digital computer system stratifies in a set of patients, based on a set of observations. The observations can include physical, biochemical, histological, genetic, and gene-expression data, among other types of information. Adjustments can be made to account for the possibility that observations of several patients may begin at different points in the progression of their respective disease processes. Once these adjustments are made, the data are subjected to a statistical cluster analysis. Each cluster of patients potentially represents a different disease stratum, with its own underlying cause, optimum therapy, and prognosis. Once the strata are defined and patients are assigned to them, adjustments to the data can be refined. The cluster analysis then can be repeated, and so an iterative process of stratification and staging takes place.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. An information processing method for the stratification of a disease, and for the assessment of the disease'"'"'s progression, comprising the steps of:
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(a) recording a time series of observations for a plurality of variables obtained from a plurality of patients who share the disease;
(b) entering and storing those observations as a data set in a computer, wherein the computer performs the subsequent steps as automated computations;
(c) selecting, for subsequent analysis, a subset of the data set, wherein the subset is based on patient demographic information or prior treatment history;
(d) stratifying the disease by clustering patients into strata, wherein the strata are based on the shapes of curves which represent the progression of said observations over time;
(e) using the strata created in step (d) or step (g) to align, truncate, or extend each time series so that data points compared in step (f) correspond to a similar disease stage for all patients;
(f) for each pair of patients, comparing the aligned time series to determine a measure of the mathematical distance between them; and
(g) refining the stratification of the disease by assigning the patients to clusters based on the mathematical distances determined in step (f), such that each cluster corresponds to a stratum of the disease. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification