New Cancer Finding Can Change The Future
The use of artificial intelligence in medical science is no new thing. In fact, research on this began more than a decade ago, as scientists attempted to utilize automated systems and machinations to assist people in healthcare. Recently however, a major stride has been achieved in the world of AI-based health science. A new AI system has recently been developed with the ability to detect lung cancer early on.
Scientists claim that this is done through the analyzing of a patients’ tumors and believe that if perfected, this system could fundamentally change the manner in which people identify certain types of cancers.
Developed by the journal Nature Medicine, the system boasts an accuracy of almost 97 percent in distinguishing between adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – two common types of lung cancer that are quite difficult to identify right due without rigorous testing.
An associate professor at New York University (NYU), Aristotelis Tsirigos had to say the following words about this innovative technology: “Our study provides strong evidence that an AI approach will be able to instantly determine cancer subtype and mutational profile to get patients started on targeted therapies sooner”.
The AI has also been trained to identify certain genes and mutations. Currently, it can identify 6 different genes that are usually linked with lung cancer, with accuracy between 70 to 90 percent. A big part in identifying cancer early on involves finding out which genes are involved, and this new research could very fundamentally change the manner in which this is done. Doctors will more easily able to locate certain mutations and cancer cells in their patients, and as a result, will be able to more effectively deduce signs of cancer.
While the technology still needs fine-tuning before it can be perfected, this does open a multitude of doors for the world of AI-based medical science. While previously, it seemed almost too futuristic of an idea, with these new developments, the world is reaching closer and closer to the idea of a truly modernized medical system.
“In our study, we were excited to improve on pathologist-level accuracies, and to show that AI can discover previously unknown patterns in the visible features of cancer cells and the tissues around them,” is what Narges Razavian, who is an assistant professor at NYU, had to say.
With each passing moment, it seems that AI is advancing further and further, and at a pace that is quite unprecedented. At this rate, there is no saying what the medical world will look like not just in the distant, but in the near future. With many medical facilities around the world understanding the untapped potential that AI technology presents to the world, experts are finally shifting towards the usage of this technology for medical purposes. With automated systems being created to identify certain types of lung cancers, the sky is truly the limit.
The team at NYU plans on utilizing the program until they are able to receive a respectable percentage of 90 across all their identifications.
