Avenda Health, an AI healthcare company, claims its software can identify the extent of prostate cancer with greater accuracy than traditional methods employed by doctors.
In a recent study involving ten physicians who evaluated 50 prostate cancer cases each, Avenda’s Unfold AI technology achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7%. In comparison, the doctors’ manual assessments ranged from a lower 67.2% to 75.9% accuracy.
Conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and published in the Journal of Urology, the research also revealed that AI-assisted cancer contouring provided predictions of tumor size that were 45 times more precise than those made without AI support.
Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor of urology and senior author of the study, remarked that AI assistance not only enhanced the accuracy of physicians but also increased consistency among them, making their evaluations more aligned.
While doctors typically rely on MRI scans to gauge tumor size, some tumors are undetectable through this imaging method. Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at UCLA, noted that AI serves a crucial role in identifying these “MRI-invisible” tumors. He emphasized that the integration of AI in cancer treatment might result in more personalized and effective patient care.
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, expressed pride in the validation of their innovation through research and recognition from professional organizations like the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, with a mortality rate of 1 in 44 due to the disease. This year, it is projected that the United States will see 299,010 new prostate cancer cases, with 35,250 fatalities related to the illness.