ONCOCIN: An Expert System for Oncology Protocol Management

Edward H. Shortliffe, A. Carlisle Scott, Miriam B. Bischoff, A. Bruce Campbell, William van Melle, Charlotte D. Jacobs

Abstract: We describe an oncology protocol management system, named ONCOCIN, that is designed to assist physicians in the treatment of cancer patients. The system is actually a set of programs, one of which is a rule-based reasoner that encompasses the necessary knowledge of cancer chemotherapy. Representation and control techniques are discussed, and ONCOCIN is contrasted with systems that could be built using EMYCIN. of particular interest is the need to provide ONCOCIN with an interface that will make the system acceptable to oncologists.