An AI healthcare company claims that its software can detect prostate cancer more accurately than medical professionals.
Avenda Health conducted a study involving ten doctors who each evaluated 50 prostate cancer cases. The company’s Unfold AI software achieved an accuracy of 84.7% in detecting cancer, while the doctors’ manual assessments ranged from 67.2% to 75.9%.
The research, conducted in collaboration with UCLA Health and published in the Journal of Urology, revealed that using AI for cancer contouring made predictions regarding tumor size 45 times more accurate and consistent compared to traditional methods.
“The use of AI assistance improved both accuracy and consistency among doctors, leading to greater agreement in assessments,” stated Shyam Natarajan, an assistant adjunct professor at UCLA and the study’s senior author.
Doctors typically rely on MRIs to gauge tumor sizes; however, some tumors are “MRI-invisible,” according to Dr. Wayne Brisbane, an assistant professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. AI technology can provide valuable insights in areas where MRIs are ineffective.
“Integrating AI in cancer treatment could enhance personalized care for patients, resulting in more tailored treatments and improved success rates against the disease,” Brisbane added, noting that AI can surpass human capabilities.
Avenda Health’s CEO, Dr. Shyam Natarajan, expressed that it is “empowering for physicians to see this kind of innovation being validated through studies and recognized by the AMA.”
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and 1 in 44 will die from it. The organization estimates that there will be 299,010 new cases of prostate cancer in the U.S. this year, with 35,250 fatalities attributed to the disease.