Optimizing cancer diagnosis: A hybrid approach of genetic operators and Sinh Cosh Optimizer for tumor identification and feature gene selection.

The identification of tumors through gene analysis in microarray data is a pivotal area of research in artificial intelligence and bioinformatics. This task is challenging due to the large number of genes relative to the limited number of observations, making feature selection a critical step. This paper introduces a novel wrapper feature selection method that leverages a hybrid optimization algorithm combining a genetic operator with a Sinh Cosh Optimizer (SCHO), termed SCHO-GO. The SCHO-GO algorithm is designed to avoid local optima, streamline the search process, and select the most relevant features without compromising classifier performance. Traditional methods often falter with extensive search spaces, necessitating hybrid approaches. Our method aims to reduce the dimensionality and improve the classification accuracy, which is essential in pattern recognition and data analysis. The SCHO-GO algorithm, integrated with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, significantly enhances cancer classification accuracy. We evaluated the performance of SCHO-GO using the CEC'2022 benchmark function and compared it with seven well-known metaheuristic algorithms. Statistical analyses indicate that SCHO-GO consistently outperforms these algorithms. Experimental tests on eight microarray gene expression datasets, particularly the Gene Expression Cancer RNA-Seq dataset, demonstrate an impressive accuracy of 99.01% with the SCHO-GO-SVM model, highlighting its robustness and precision in handling complex datasets. Furthermore, the SCHO-GO algorithm excels in feature selection and solving mathematical benchmark problems, presenting a promising approach for tumor identification and classification in microarray data analysis.