AI, Cancer and The Dozing Docs: A Dance To Watch
Whoever said that sci-fi and reality can’t blend should take a backseat and feast their eyes on what’s currently unfolding in the healthcare sphere. So, here’s the latest buzz in town: artificial intelligence is rolling up its sleeves and stepping into the fight against the big C, more specifically, breast cancer. Now isn’t that a plot twist!
Dr. Laurie Margolies, a top gun at Mount Sinai Health System, recently shared with CBS News that AI is now playing detective in breast cancer detection. Now, that’s an upgrade from playing chess, don’t you think? Margolies believes that AI could not only make her fellow doctors even more skilled but also teach them how to spot risk factors that make certain patterns of breast tissue more vulnerable. But wait, that’s not all. This AI detective doesn’t miss a single clue, even those that might escape the best of human eyes on a mammogram.
An AI Gatekeeper: How About That?
Think of it this way, AI is the new gatekeeper in this cancer detecting process. The system takes the first shot at interpreting the mammogram, dividing it into three groups. We’ve got the low-risk group, where the computer believes there’s barely any sign of cancer, and then there’s the mid-range group which basically says “Hmm, there might be something here, best take a closer look.” Lastly, we have the high-risk group that essentially shouts “Red alert! Potential cancer signs detected, eyes on the marked spots pronto!”
What comes next is that doctors now have the patient’s history and older mammograms enhanced by this AI intel. And the best part? This AI buddy doesn’t tire, doesn’t get distracted. Margolies added a bonus point, there’s an error that creeps up in radiology termed as ‘satisfaction of search,’ where doctors, having found a cancer on one side, might miss a second cancer because of a premature sense of achievement. Well, guess who doesn’t make that mistake? You got it, our tireless AI gatekeeper.
Koios DS Breast: The AI Magician
Then we have this magician, the AI-powered Koios DS Breast, which not only reads ultrasound but spots cancer in, wait for it… two seconds. Now, that’s impressive, right? It’s like the Department of Radiology has its own superhero that ensures rapid and accurate diagnosis and minimizes biopsies.
Koios DS Breast works with AI and machine learning algorithms to compare ultrasounds with an archive of hundreds of thousands of images, giving it a superpower to spot cancers even in women with dense breasts.
A Crucial Footnote
Let’s get this straight: despite the advancements, ladies, annual screenings and mammograms are still critical. AI is a tool, not a substitute. Let’s not forget, breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States.
In other news, AI is also making headway in detecting colorectal cancer and reducing wait times for radiotherapy treatments in the U.K. So, it seems AI and cancer research are entangled in a dance that we all should be watching closely.
