AI Tool Helps Doctors Stop Unnecessary Breast Cancer Chemo

Manjiri Bakre watched thousands of women undergo brutal chemotherapy they didn't need, and she decided to build a better way.

The IISc scientist founded OncoStem Diagnostics to tackle a troubling reality: 95% of early-stage breast cancer patients with small tumors receive chemotherapy, but only 30% actually need it. The rest endure months of grueling treatment, crushing side effects, and financial hardship for no medical benefit.

Her solution, called CanAssist Breast, uses artificial intelligence to predict which patients face real risk of cancer returning. The test analyzes protein markers from a patient's tumor sample and combines them with clinical factors like tumor size and lymph node involvement.

An AI algorithm crunches this data to generate a risk score between 0 and 100. Patients score as either low risk or high risk for cancer recurrence over the next five years. Low-risk patients can skip chemotherapy entirely, while high-risk patients get the aggressive treatment they truly need.

The timing couldn't be more critical. Breast cancer cases in India jumped from 213,000 in 2021 to nearly 240,000 in 2025, according to the National Cancer Registry Programme. It remains the most common cancer affecting Indian women.

Bakre launched OncoStem Technologies in 2017 after years of research at the Indian Institute of Science. Her team spent years developing the test to work specifically for Indian patients, whose cancer profiles can differ from Western populations.

The Ripple Effect

The impact goes far beyond medical accuracy. Chemotherapy costs lakhs of rupees, forces women to stop working, and destroys their quality of life with nausea, hair loss, and fatigue. Families often borrow money or sell assets to pay for treatment.

By identifying the 70% who don't need chemo, CanAssist Breast could save countless families from financial ruin while preserving women's health and dignity. Patients avoid unnecessary suffering, and the healthcare system can direct resources to those who truly need intervention.

The test also empowers patients with personalized data instead of one-size-fits-all protocols. Women can make informed decisions about their treatment based on their individual cancer's behavior, not outdated statistics.

In a country where breast cancer strikes nearly a quarter-million women yearly, giving 70% a chance to skip unnecessary chemotherapy represents a revolution in compassionate, intelligent care.