Radiologists at a hospital in the United Kingdom are using artificial intelligence to facilitate the detection of lung cancer. Thanks to software powered by this technology, the team can identify abnormalities in the chest x-rays of patients suspected of suffering from this disease.
The initiative is part of the research project LungIMPACT, implemented at Ipswich Hospital. The objective is to speed up lung cancer diagnosis times as much as possible and, in this way, help make the treatment more effective. They also hope to minimize false positives.
The research includes the review of some 9,000 chest x-rays taken from GP referrals. This trial phase will run until July this year. The artificial intelligence in question was developed by Qure.ai, a company specialized in medical solutions, which aims to revolutionize lung cancer detection.
All chest x-rays, after going through software analysis, will be evaluated by a radiologist. “Artificial intelligence could help prioritize which X-rays to check first, leaving normal ones for later and allowing investigation of possible [casos de] lung cancer occurs more quickly,” said James Hathorn, consultant radiologist and principal investigator of the study, in a release.
AI may be key to accelerating the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer
Qure.ai It highlights on its website that its artificial intelligence can perform analysis in up to 20 seconds. A study published in 2022 noted that this algorithm was able to identify critical abnormalities in 90% of a group of missed or mislabeled chest x-rays. In this test, which was not limited to the search for possible cases of lung cancer, there were no false positives. In addition, he correctly detected cases of pleurisy, rib fractures and other ailments.
“We are very excited to be part of this study to help find clinical evidence of its benefits,” Hathorn highlighted. “We want all AI solutions to be properly researched and tested, so this is an important study for the future of healthcare.”
Lung cancer is not the only disease whose study is benefiting from the evolution of AI-based tools. Other teams of experts have also taken advantage of recent advances in this technology for early cancer detection. He Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), For example, it created its own algorithm with the ability to identify spots that could become breast cancer in the future. The tool could predict its appearance even four years in advance.
NVIDIA announced in March last year that it will implement its artificial intelligence systems in medical devices. The company has already signed an agreement with Medtronic to integrate your technology into the GI Genius endoscopy module. Those responsible for the project assure that this will be the first colonoscopy tool assisted by artificial intelligence to prevent cancer.