IBM has established a foothold in China for Watson artificial intelligence system as it has partnered with Beijing-based Hangzhou CognitiveCare to work with 21 hospitals across the country to adopt "Watson for Oncology," which is a computing platform that will help clinics provide individualized, evidence-based cancer treatment options to patients.

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The 21 hospitals, which are a combination of both urban and rural facilities, will utilize Watson to arrive with an individualized treatment options for patients with cancer. Options will be extracted from the latest genetic information from "more than 300 medical journals, more than 200 textbooks, and nearly 15 million pages of text," according to IBM.

"Watson has the power to transform how doctors battle cancer in China and around the world, providing physicians with insights regarding treatment options that help them customize therapeutic recommendations specific to each individual, based on a patient's specific needs," Zhen Tu, chief executive of Hangzhou CognitiveCare said.

Although IBM Watson has been operating in China for over 30 years, this is the first time that the company has channeled its efforts to personalizing cancer care in the country.

"Hangzhou CognitiveCare is eager to bring IBM's Watson for Oncology to reach every oncologist in China we possibly can," Tu said.

Watson for Oncology is a product of IBM with the help of oncologists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It boasts of the capability to read "structured and unstructured" sources. Watson for Oncology is currently only available in the English language, but Hangzhou Cognitive Care said it is working to localize the language.

Watson's introduction to China comes as cancer cases are increasing in the country. Last year alone, around 4.3 million cancer cases and 2.8 million cancer deaths were reported. It is estimated that 12,000 new cancer diagnoses are made in China every day.

"The number of cancer cases is rising, and it's the number one cause of death in China," Dr. Kyu Rhee, chief health officer of IBM Watson, said. "There are challenges in keeping up with evidence and knowledge. This is about scaling that knowledge and providing access to it in China."

TagsIBM Watson, Hangzhou CognitiveCare, Watson for Oncology, Watson, Cancer, cancer care, cancer deaths