A healthcare technology company claims that its artificial intelligence software can more accurately determine the extent of prostate cancer compared to traditional methods employed by doctors.
Avenda Health published a study last month that involved ten physicians analyzing 50 different prostate cancer cases each. The findings revealed that Avenda’s Unfold AI software was able to detect cancer with an accuracy of 84.7%, while the doctors who assessed the cases manually achieved accuracy rates between 67.2% and 75.9%.
The study, conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and released in the Journal of Urology, demonstrated that incorporating AI for cancer contouring significantly improved predictions of tumor size, making them 45 times more accurate and consistent compared to those made without AI.
According to Dr. Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor of urology, surgery, and bioengineering at UCLA and the senior author of the study, the use of AI assistance not only enhanced the accuracy of the doctors but also improved their consistency in assessments, leading to greater agreement among them when AI support was utilized.
Typically, doctors rely on MRI scans to evaluate tumor size, but some tumors may not be detectable via MRI, a limitation addressed by Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He noted that AI fills the gap where MRIs fall short, potentially leading to more effective and customized treatment options for patients based on their unique circumstances.
Dr. Natarajan, CEO of Avenda Health, expressed optimism about the validation of this innovation through research and its recognition 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, with 1 in 44 men succumbing to the disease. An estimated 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer are anticipated in the U.S. this year, with 35,250 fatalities expected from the illness.