A healthcare AI company claims that its software is capable of detecting the extent of prostate cancer with greater accuracy than human doctors.
Avenda Health published a study last month involving ten physicians who evaluated 50 prostate cancer cases each. The company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy rate of 84.7% in identifying cancer, whereas the participating doctors had manual detection rates ranging from 67.2% to 75.9%.
Conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and featured in the Journal of Urology, the study highlighted that the use of AI in cancer contouring resulted in predictions about tumor size being 45 times more accurate and consistent compared to traditional methods.
Shyam Natarajan, assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the study’s senior author, noted that AI assistance increased both the accuracy and consistency of doctors’ assessments, leading to greater consensus among them.
Currently, doctors often rely on MRIs to determine tumor sizes; however, some tumors are not visible on MRI scans. Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explained that AI can identify these undetectable tumors. He further stated that incorporating AI into cancer treatment could enhance patient care, making it more personalized and effective.
Avenda Health CEO Dr. Shyam Natarajan expressed that it is encouraging for physicians to see such innovations validated through research and recognized by the American Medical Association.
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives, while 1 in 44 men will succumb to the disease. It is projected that there will be 299,010 new prostate cancer cases in the U.S. this year, with 35,250 fatalities resulting from the illness.