Avenda Health, an AI healthcare company, claims that its software is capable of detecting prostate cancer more accurately than medical professionals. A recent study conducted by the company involved ten doctors who analyzed 50 prostate cancer cases each. Avenda’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7%, while the physicians’ manual assessments ranged between 67.2% and 75.9%.
The study, which partnered with UCLA Health and was published in the Journal of Urology, further revealed that using AI for cancer contouring resulted in predictions of tumor size that were 45 times more precise and consistent compared to methods lacking AI assistance.
Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author, stated that AI usage led to greater accuracy and consistency among doctors, indicating that they tended to reach similar conclusions when aided by AI.
Typically, doctors rely on MRI scans to evaluate tumor sizes; however, some tumors remain undetectable on MRIs, as noted by Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. He emphasized that AI fills in the gaps where MRIs do not.
Dr. Brisbane expressed optimism about the role of AI in cancer treatment, suggesting it could facilitate more effective and personalized care tailored to individual patient needs, ultimately improving treatment outcomes.
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, remarked on the validation and recognition of such innovations through studies, highlighting the supportive acknowledgment from the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will face a prostate cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and 1 in 44 will succumb to the illness. This year, the U.S. is projected to see 299,010 new prostate cancer cases, with 35,250 fatalities expected as a result of the disease.