IBM Corp.s Watson technology defeated two Jeopardy champions in a famous man-against-machine TV showdown in 2011, and now IBM is counting on Watson to help its U.S. employees fight cancer.

IBM, developer of Watson, a supercomputer that combines artificial intelligence and advanced analytical software in a format that turns a computer into a question and answer machine, announced that as a new benefit for its U.S. workforce certain employees with cancer or undergoing a diagnosis for cancer will have access to Watson for insight into better types of treatment.

IBMs cancers-stricken U.S. employees will have access to Watson and an oncology collaboration with Best Doctors, which provides diagnosis and treatment plan reviews using a network of physician specialists, beginning in January.

The IBM benefit uses the artificial intelligence capability of Watson to provide employees and their doctors with evidence-based treatment recommendations related to breast, lung, colorectal and gastric cancers, IBM says.

With the patients permission, Best Doctors will collect medical records and feed relevant data into Watson, IBM says. Watson will then generate a report, which will be reviewed by an oncologist from the Best Doctors network. A final assessment will then be provided to the patient and their primary oncologist.

For anyone receiving the diagnosis, or supporting a loved one through it, cancer can be overwhelming, says IBM Watson Health chief health officer Kyu Rhee. Now a second opinion staffed by the combination of Watson and oncologists in the Best Doctors network is readily available.

Watson will be used in several instances in developing a better cancer treatment for covered employees and their dependents, IBM says. For example, Watson for Oncology will generate evidence-based treatment recommendations while Watson for Clinical Trial Matching will help health providers match eligible patients with relevant clinical trials.

Watson for Genomics also will analyze the genomic profile from a patients tumor and provides information to doctors about potential cancer-causing mutations and provide insight on targeted therapies, IBM says. Genomic profiling is a laboratory method that investigates all the genes in a person or in a specific cell type, and the way those genes interact with each other and with the environment, says the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

IBM has a history of using Watson, which it introduced in 2010 and claims to be capable of reading 40 million documents in 15 seconds, to aid in cancer diagnosis and treatment. In February 2013, IBMs first commercial application of Watson analytical software was for utilization management decisions for lung cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and in conjunction with health insurer WellPoint.

IBM also has used Watson for other employee benefits programs, including for help with benefits enrollment and other health and wellness initiatives. For cancer IBM says its newest initiative is a first-ever U.S. rollout of the technology where Watson’s services can benefit an entire population of individuals who need them.