Artificial intelligence beats doctors to detect common cancer in men.
A new UCLA study found that an AI tool identified prostate cancer with 84% accuracy — compared to 67% for cases detected by doctors, according to a university press release.
Unfold AI, developed by Avenda Health in California — software recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration — uses an AI algorithm to visualize the likelihood of cancer based on various types of clinical data.
In the study, a team of seven urologists and three radiologists analyzed 50 cases where tumors had been removed, looking for signs of residual cancer.
A few months later, the AI software performed the same analysis.
The “negative margin rate” — a medical term that describes the absence of cancer cells surrounding the removed tissue — was 45 times higher in cases detected by AI, so the chances of leaving cancer behind were much lower.
Dr. Ali Kasraeian, a urologist at Kasraeian Urology in Jacksonville, Florida, said he uses Unfold AI technology in his consultations with patients about managing their prostate cancer.
“The AI takes the information we currently have about a patient’s prostate cancer — like their pathology, imaging and biopsy results — and creates a 3D cancer estimation map,” he told Fox News Digital via email.
“The results we get from Unfold AI tell us whether a patient will be better suited for focal therapy or a more radical therapy, such as radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy, allowing us to optimize their cancer cure, personalization of their cancer care, and quality of life goals.”
Based on these findings, AI could lead to more accurate diagnoses and more targeted treatments, reducing the need for complete gland removal and the side effects that can accompany it, such as incontinence and impotence, the researchers wrote.
Joshua Trachenberg, Ph.D., is a professor of neurobiology at UCLA and a prostate cancer patient himself. After discovering a slow-growing tumor on his prostate, doctors recommended surgical removal of the gland, but he decided to explore other options.
“I reached out to a team at UCLA, where I am also a faculty member, that was studying alternative treatments to total gland removal,” Trachenberg, 56, told Fox News Digital via email.
The UCLA researchers were testing an approach that uses ultrasound to heat tissue and is “focally guided” by MRI to destroy cancerous tissue without damaging the rest of the gland, he said.
After some imaging tests, it was determined that Trachenberg was a candidate for the experimental therapy.
“The 3D map created by Unfold AI allowed this team to identify precise margins, target the cancerous area and avoid any functional structures in the gland,” he said.
“It really helped me visualize my cancer and gave me a better understanding of my case.”
Trachenberg is now cancer-free and was able to avoid a radical prostatectomy.
“Many men are afraid of treatment because of the risks associated with removing glands, and Unfold AI enables therapies that don’t put men through the meat grinder,” he said.
This type of AI technology gives Trachenberg hope for the future of prostate cancer treatment, he told Fox News Digital.
“Too often, we are given only two options: watch and wait for the situation to get worse, or remove the entire gland, which often leaves men with lifelong side effects that strain their physical health, their emotional health and even their marriage,” he said.
“I would recommend that any prostate cancer patient who is told they need a radical prostatectomy take the time to consider all of their options, (including) AI technologies.”
Potential risks, limits
Dr. Harvey Castro, a board-certified emergency physician and national speaker on artificial intelligence based in Dallas, Texas, was not involved in the new study but shared his thoughts on the potential risks associated with the technology.
“The accuracy of AI is highly dependent on the quality of the data it is trained on,” he told Fox News Digital. “Poor quality data can lead to inaccurate diagnoses.”
Castro also warned against “overreliance” on AI.
“While AI is a powerful tool, it should complement, not replace, the clinical judgment of healthcare professionals,” he said.
“AI is our new ally in diagnostics,” Castro added. “But like any tool, it works best in the hands of a human.”
Privacy must also be considered when using this type of technology, Castro said.
“Processing sensitive patient data with AI requires strict data protection measures to maintain patient trust and confidentiality.”
The cost of AI technologies can also be a significant barrier, Kasraeian added.
“I hope this study will encourage us, and future payers, to make these innovations more accessible to urologists and, most importantly, to our patients.”
