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According to Statista, in 2021, artificial intelligence in the healthcare market was worth around $11 billion worldwide.
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According to Statista, the global healthcare AI market was forecast to be worth nearly $188 billion by 2030.
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The American Cancer Society estimates that 238,340 new cases of lung cancer will be detected in the United States by 2023.
With the giant steps that Artificial Intelligence has recently taken and the growing importance that it is acquiring in different branches, such as the focus on health that it is currently giving. A new study has identified that it is possible that the use of artificial intelligence could help in the early detection of lung cancer.
In a study published today in the journal Radiology, he analyzed the effect of AI-based software in a real oncology clinical practice. In it, the researchers report that artificial intelligence “significantly” improved the detection of lung cancer nodules on chest X-rays.
According to the study, pulmonary nodules are abnormal tumors that form in the lungs. They are frequent and are usually formed by previous lung infections. One of the most widely used screening methods to identify pulmonary nodules are chest X-rays.
Study co-author Dr. Jin Mo Goo, a professor in the Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Korea, told Healthline that AI can be a powerful tool in helping to identify pulmonary nodules, especially when the Radiologists have a high volume of cases.
“Detection of cancer at an earlier stage is a crucial issue. Since many solid tumors could be identified on imaging studies, detecting potential early cancers, such as pulmonary nodules in lung cancer, more effectively is the first step in improving outcomes for cancer patients,” says Goo. .
How does the study was realized?
In the study, the researchers included 10,476 people with an average age of 59 who had undergone chest X-rays at a health screening center between June 2020 and December 2021. About 11% of the participants were current or former smokers.
Participants completed a self-reported health questionnaire to identify baseline characteristics such as age, gender, smoking habit, and history of lung cancer.
Study participants were randomly divided into two groups: with or without AI. The radiographs of the first group were analyzed by radiologists with the help of the AI, while those of the second group were interpreted without the results of the AI.
Solid nodules with diameters greater than 8 millimeters or subsolid nodules with a solid portion greater than 6 millimeters were identified as processable, meaning that the nodule required follow-up based on lung cancer screening criteria.
Pulmonary nodules were identified in 2% of the participants. Analyzes showed that the detection rate of actionable pulmonary nodules on chest radiographs was higher with the aid of AI (0.59%) than without (0.25%).
Although older age and a history of lung cancer or tuberculosis were associated with positive reports, these and other health characteristics did not influence the efficacy of the AI system, the researchers reported.
This suggests that AI may work consistently in different populations, including those with diseased or postoperative lungs, the scientists concluded.
Uses of Artificial Intelligence in medicine
According to information from IBM, artificial intelligence in medicine is the use of machine learning models to search for medical data and discover insights that help improve health outcomes and patient experiences.
Thanks to recent advances in computer science and informatics, artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an integral part of modern healthcare. AI algorithms and other AI-powered applications are used to assist medical professionals in clinical settings and in ongoing research.
Related notes: