An artificial intelligence healthcare firm claims that its software is capable of detecting the extent of prostate cancer with greater precision than doctors.
Avenda Health conducted a study last month, involving ten doctors who evaluated 50 different cases of prostate cancer. Their Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy of 84.7% in detecting cancer, while the physicians’ manual assessments ranged between 67.2% and 75.9% accuracy.
The study, conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and published in the Journal of Urology, revealed that when AI was employed to assist in cancer contouring, predictions regarding tumor size became 45 times more accurate and consistent compared to traditional methods without AI.
Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author, noted that the integration of AI assistance not only enhanced the accuracy of diagnoses but also led to a greater consensus among doctors when they utilized AI support.
While doctors typically rely on MRIs to assess tumor size, Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, pointed out that certain tumors are “MRI-invisible.” He explained that AI technology fills in the gaps where traditional imaging methods may fall short.
Brisbane emphasized that the implementation of AI in cancer treatment could pave the way for more effective and personalized patient care, leading to treatments that are better suited to individual needs and more successful in combating the disease. He noted that AI’s capabilities could surpass human potential.
Dr. Shyam Natarajan, CEO of Avenda Health, expressed that it is encouraging for healthcare professionals to have this level of innovation 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 are expected to die from the illness. In the United States, it is estimated that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases this year, with 35,250 deaths attributed to the disease.