Avenda Health, an artificial intelligence healthcare company, claims that its software can detect the extent of prostate cancer more accurately than medical professionals.
A recent study conducted by Avenda, involving ten doctors who evaluated 50 prostate cancer cases each, revealed that the company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7%. In contrast, the accuracy of the physicians’ manual assessments ranged from 67.2% to 75.9%.
The research, which partnered with UCLA Health and appeared in the Journal of Urology, also indicated that AI-assisted cancer contouring predictions were 45 times more accurate and consistent than those made without AI assistance.
Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor at UCLA and the senior author of the study, noted that the integration of AI assistance improved both the accuracy and consistency of the doctors, showing a greater agreement among them when utilizing the AI technology.
Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA, explained that while doctors often rely on MRIs to determine tumor size, some tumors are “MRI-invisible.” AI provides crucial assistance where MRIs fall short.
Brisbane emphasized that the implementation of AI in cancer treatment could enhance care effectiveness and personalization, allowing for treatments better suited to individual patient needs. He asserted that AI can surpass human capabilities in diagnostics.
Avenda Health CEO Dr. Shyam Natarajan expressed optimism about the validation of such innovations through studies and recognition from the American Medical Association.
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 roughly 1 in 44 men will succumb to the disease. This year, it is estimated that there will be 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer in the U.S., with 35,250 fatalities attributed to the illness.