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AI and imaging-based cancer screening: getting ready for prime time

New data show that AI could enhance imaging-based screen for pancreatic cancer; however, its evaluation must be rigorous and adhere to the same standards used for conventional screening.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a pervasive element of our lives. Consciously or unconsciously, we interact with AI techniques when using search engines on the internet, posting on or reading social media, or using transportation. In clinical medicine, the uptake of AI has happened at a much slower pace, with diagnoses and treatment recommendations still almost exclusively based on human judgement. Only recently have AI techniques been evaluated for their applicability and potential benefit for several clinical scenarios, with video and imaging applications leading the way1. In this issue of Nature Medicine, Cao et al.2 report the results of a study in which they have assessed AI techniques for detecting and classifying pancreatic lesions in non-contrast computerized tomography (CT) imaging. The approach tries to meet the clinical need for the early detection of pancreatic cancer, a challenging disease given its often unspecific symptoms, which result in late detection and poor prognosis3.

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Fig. 1: AI-assisted prediction and early detection of pancreatic cancer.

References

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  1. Department of Visceral, Vascular and Endocrine Surgery, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, University Medical Center Halle (Saale), Halle (Saale), Germany

    Jörg Kleeff & Ulrich Ronellenfitsch

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  1. Jörg Kleeff
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  2. Ulrich Ronellenfitsch
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Jörg Kleeff.

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Kleeff, J., Ronellenfitsch, U. AI and imaging-based cancer screening: getting ready for prime time.
Nat Med (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02630-y

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  • Published: 20 November 2023

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02630-y

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