Artificial intelligence shows promise in detecting lung cancer

Northwestern University and Google have partnered to use AI technology to spot cancer earlier. In fact, it is the sixth most common cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Doctors currently have to sift through hundreds of 2-D CT scan images to try to discern the presence of the illness – a process that takes time and isn’t very accurate.

In a new study, Google and medical partners including Northwestern University have unveiled a new AI-based tool that can create a better model of a patient’s lung from the CT scan images. This 3-D image gives better predictions about the malignancy of tumors and incorporates learning from previous scans, enabling the AI to help clinicians in spotting lung cancer in earlier stages when it is vastly more treatable.While the disease can be quashed if found soon enough, Google notes that a miniscule slice of the eligible U.S. population is screened for lung cancer. Along with the tremendous work and opaque outcomes a human-only review can produce, AI assistance in reviewing medical imaging and building a statistical model offers to lift some burden off of clinicians’ shoulders.