A healthcare technology company has announced that its software can identify the extent of prostate cancer more reliably than traditional methods used by doctors. Avenda Health conducted a study last month that involved ten physicians evaluating 50 prostate cancer cases each. The company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7% in detecting cancer, while the physicians’ manual assessments varied from 67.2% to 75.9%.
The study, which was completed in collaboration with UCLA Health and published in the Journal of Urology, revealed that when AI was incorporated to assist with cancer contouring, the accuracy and consistency of cancer size predictions improved significantly, becoming 45 times more reliable compared to evaluations made without AI support.
Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor at UCLA and senior author of the study, stated that the presence of AI assistance resulted in greater accuracy and consistency among the doctors, as they tended to have more agreement in their assessments. Dr. Wayne Brisbane, another UCLA assistant professor, noted that while doctors typically rely on MRIs to determine tumor size, some tumors remain undetectable by MRI. He emphasized that AI technology is particularly beneficial in cases where MRIs fall short.
Dr. Brisbane expressed hope that the integration of AI in cancer treatment could enhance patient care by delivering more personalized and effective therapies, thus improving outcomes against the disease. Avenda Health CEO Dr. Shyam Natarajan highlighted the significance of having their innovative approach endorsed through research and recognized by the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, and one in 44 men are expected to succumb to the illness. This year alone, it is anticipated that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases in the United States, leading to 35,250 fatalities from the disease.