An artificial intelligence healthcare company claims its software can more accurately identify the severity of prostate cancer compared to human doctors.
Avenda Health conducted a study last month, involving ten physicians who assessed 50 different cases of prostate cancer. The company’s Unfold AI software showed an accuracy rate of 84.7% in detecting cancer, while the doctors achieved accuracy levels ranging from 67.2% to 75.9%.
The research, carried out in partnership with UCLA Health and published in the Journal of Urology, revealed that utilizing AI to assist in cancer contouring resulted in size predictions that were 45 times more accurate and consistent than assessments made without AI support.
Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author, stated that the use of AI not only improved the accuracy of the doctors but also enhanced consistency among their assessments.
Traditionally, doctors rely on MRIs to gauge tumor sizes; however, some tumors are “MRI-invisible,” as noted by Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. AI technology assists in situations where MRIs fail.
Dr. Brisbane added that incorporating AI in cancer treatment has the potential to provide more effective and personalized care for patients, resulting in treatment plans that better fit individual needs and are more successful in combating the illness. He emphasized that AI can surpass human capabilities.
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, expressed that it is “empowering for physicians” to witness innovative technologies validated through research and recognized by the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, with 1 in 44 expected to succumb to the disease. This year, it is estimated that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases in the U.S., with 35,250 deaths attributed to the illness.