Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence (LPBI) Group

AI System Used to Detect Lung Cancer

Reporter: Irina Robu, PhD

Lung cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. The growth spreads beyond the lung by metastasis into nearby tissues. The most common symptoms are coughing (including coughing up blood), weight loss, shortness of breath, and chest pains. The two main types of lung cancer are small-cell lung carcinoma(SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Lung cancer may be seen on chest radiographs and computed tomography(CT) scans. However, computers seem to be as good or better than regular doctors at detecting tiny lung cancers on CT scans according to scientists from Google.

The AI designed by Google was able to interpret images using the same skills as humans to read microscope slides, X-rays, M.R.I.s and other medical scans by feeding huge amounts of data from medical imaging into the systems. It seems that the researchers were able to train computers to recognize patterns linked to a specific condition.

In a new Google study, the scientists applied artificial intelligence to CT scans used to screen people for lung cancer. Current studies have shown that screening can reduce the risk of dying from lung cancer and can also identify spots that might later become malignant.

The researchers created a neural network with multiple layers of processing and trained the AI by giving it many CT scans from patients whose diagnoses were known. This allows radiologists to sort patients into risk groups and decide whether biopsies are needed or follow up to keep track of the suspected regions. Even though the technology seems promising, but it can have pitfalls such as missing tumors, mistaken benign spots for malignancies and push patients into risky procedures.

Yet, the ability to process vast amounts of data may make it imaginable for artificial intelligence to recognize subtle patterns that humans simply cannot see. It is well understood that the systems should be studied extensively before using them for general public use. The lung-screening neural network is not ready for the clinic yet.

SOURCE

A.I. Took Test To Detect Lung Cancer And Smashed It