An AI healthcare company claims that its software can more accurately identify the extent of prostate cancer than human doctors.
Avenda Health published a study last month that involved ten medical professionals evaluating 50 individual prostate cancer cases. The company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7% in detecting cancer, compared to the manual detection rates of physicians, which ranged from 67.2% to 75.9%.
Conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and featured in the Journal of Urology, the study illustrated that AI significantly enhances the accuracy of cancer size predictions, being 45 times more reliable when AI assistance is utilized compared to traditional methods.
“The integration of AI support improved both the accuracy and consistency of the doctors’ diagnoses, leading to a stronger consensus among them when using AI tools,” stated Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author.
While doctors commonly utilize MRI scans to assess tumor dimensions, certain tumors can be “MRI-invisible,” noted Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. AI is particularly beneficial in these cases where MRIs may not provide a clear picture.
“Ultimately, applying AI in cancer treatment can result in more effective and personalized patient care, allowing for treatments that are better customized to meet individual needs and are more successful at combating the disease,” Brisbane added. He emphasized that AI has the potential to “surpass human capability.”
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, remarked on the validation of such innovations through research and recognition by the American Medical Association, stating it is an empowering development for healthcare providers.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and 1 in 44 will succumb to the illness. This year, it is projected that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases and 35,250 deaths attributed to the disease in the U.S.