An AI healthcare firm claims its software can more accurately assess the extent of prostate cancer compared to human doctors.
In a recent study published in the Journal of Urology, Avenda Health collaborated with UCLA Health to evaluate ten physicians who analyzed 50 distinct prostate cancer cases. The company’s Unfold AI software managed to identify cancer with an accuracy rate of 84.7%, while the doctors’ manual assessments ranged from 67.2% to 75.9%.
The research highlighted that employing AI for cancer contouring significantly improved predictions of tumor size, achieving accuracy levels 45 times higher compared to traditional methods without AI support.
Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor at UCLA and senior author of the study, emphasized that AI aids in making physicians more accurate and consistent in their evaluations, resulting in greater agreement among doctors when they utilize AI tools.
Traditionally, doctors rely on MRIs to gauge tumor dimensions. However, Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA, noted that some tumors remain undetectable by MRI, and AI can bridge this gap effectively. He suggested that the integration of AI in cancer care could lead to more individualized treatment options that are better suited to patient needs and have higher success rates in combating the disease.
Avenda Health’s CEO Dr. Shyam Natarajan expressed satisfaction with the validation of their innovation through study results and recognition from the American Medical Association (AMA).
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men in the U.S. will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, with 1 in 44 succumbing to the illness. In 2023, it is projected that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases in the U.S., with an estimated 35,250 fatalities stemming from the disease.