AI Detects Prostate Cancer 17% More Accurately Than Doctors, Finds Study

In recent years, the AI trend has taken over social media platforms and has become the latest viral craze. From passing medical and law exams to delivering speeches, AI has evolved so much that it even converses with users and offers solutions to their problems. Now, a new study has found that AI is outpacing doctors in detecting a common cancer in men. According to a press release, researchers from the University of California (UCLA) found that an AI tool identified prostate cancer with 84% accuracy and outperformed doctors who had a 67% accuracy rate.

Unfold AI, an AI program created by Avenda Health and cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration, uses an AI algorithm to visualize the likelihood of cancer based on various types of clinical data, the New York Post reported. Seven urologists and three radiologists tested this tool by analysing 50 cases where tumours had been removed. After doing this same study again, the AI found a far greater "negative margin rate," which indicates a smaller chance of cancer being left behind, the outlet reported. 

Dr Ali Kasraeian, a urologist at Kasraeian Urology in Jacksonville, Florida, said he uses the Unfold AI technology in his consultations with patients about managing their prostate cancer. "The AI takes the information that we currently have about a patient's prostate cancer - like their pathology, imaging and biopsy results - and creates a 3D cancer estimation map," he said. 

"The results we get from Unfold AI tell us if a patient will be better suited for focal therapy or more radical therapy, such as radical prostatectomy, or radiation therapy, ensuring we optimize their cancer cure, the personalization of their cancer care, and their quality of life goals," he explained. 

In the study, researchers said that based on their findings, the AI could lead to more accurate diagnoses and more targeted treatments, reducing the need for full-gland removal and the side effects that can come with it, such as incontinence and impotence. 

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Joshua Trachenberg, a UCLA professor and patient with prostate cancer, looked into non-surgical treatments for his illness. "I got in touch with a team at UCLA, where I also am a faculty member, that was exploring alternate treatments to total gland removal," Mr Trachenberg said. 

At the time, UCLA researchers were testing an approach that uses ultrasound to heat tissue and is "focally guided" by MRI to destroy the cancerous tissue without damaging the rest of the gland. After imaging scans, it was determined that Mr Trachenberg was a candidate for the experimental therapy. 

"The 3D map created by Unfold AI enabled this team to identify precise margins, target the cancerous area and avoid any functional structures of the gland," he said. "It was truly able to visualize my cancer and it gave me a much better understanding of my case."

Mr Trachenberg was able to avoid a radical prostatectomy and its related side effects due to the Unfold AI tool. He is now cancer-free and encourages individuals to think about AI-based alternatives before deciding to have all of their glands removed.