An artificial intelligence healthcare company claims that its software can more accurately identify the extent of prostate cancer compared to medical professionals.
Avenda Health conducted a study that involved ten doctors assessing 50 prostate cancer cases each. The company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7% in detecting cancer, whereas the physicians’ manual assessments ranged from 67.2% to 75.9% accuracy.
This research, which collaborated with UCLA Health and appeared in the Journal of Urology, revealed that when AI was employed to assist in cancer contouring, predictions regarding tumor size were 45 times more accurate and consistent than those made without AI.
“We observed that utilizing AI assistance enhanced both the accuracy and consistency of doctors, resulting in greater agreement among them when AI was used,” said Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor in urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author.
Typically, doctors rely on MRIs to gauge tumor size; however, some tumors remain “MRI-invisible,” according to Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. He noted that AI provides a solution in these challenging cases.
“Overall, implementing AI in cancer treatment could enhance personalized care, tailoring treatments more effectively to individual patient needs and improving outcomes against the disease,” Dr. Brisbane added, highlighting that AI can “surpass human capabilities.”
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, expressed that it is encouraging for physicians to see such innovations validated through research and acknowledged by the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and 1 in 44 men will ultimately succumb to the illness. It is projected that the US will witness 299,010 new prostate cancer cases this year, with an estimated 35,250 fatalities resulting from the disease.