Artificial Intelligence Helps predict lung cancer risk

As per a new study published in the journal Radiology, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool helps doctors predict the cancer risk in lung nodules seen on CT.

Pulmonary nodules appear as small spots on the lungs on chest imaging. They have become a much more common finding as CT has gained favor over X-rays for chest imaging.

In the study, six radiologists and six pulmonologists made estimates of malignancy risk for nodules using CT imaging data alone. They also made management recommendations such as CT surveillance or a diagnostic procedure for each case without and with the artificial intelligence tool.

 A total of 300 chest CTs of indeterminant pulmonary nodules were used in the study. The researchers defined indeterminant nodules. Analysis showed that use of the AI tool improved estimation of nodule malignancy risk on chest CT.

malignant or benign lesions are usually judged with a reasonable level of accuracy based on imaging itself, but when you combine their clinical interpretation with the artificial intelligence algorithm, the accuracy level improves significantly. The level of improvement suggests that this tool has the potential to change how we judge cancer and hopefully improve how patients can be managed.