AI can help detect cancer: AI has become an essential component across many areas and health care is no exception. The power of AI is being harnessed in the medical industry to facilitate early detection and treatment which is of utmost importance in case of some fatal diseases like cancer. AI is actively contributing in detecting cancer and some AI technologies are being used by hospitals in India to address the concerns relating to cancer.
According to Global Cancer Observatory estimates, there were 19.3 million cancer cases reported globally in 2020, with India ranking right behind China and the U.S. Furthermore, a recent study published in the Lancet predicted that cancer cases in India would increase to 2.08 million, accounting for a rise of 57.5% by 2040. More than 8 lakh deaths were caused due to cancer in the year 2022.
Cancer is a grave concern in India and AI has come up as a game changer for cancer detection and treatment.
AI Technologies being used for Cancer Treatments in India
The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, has collaborated with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune, and has launched an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform called iOncology.ai.
that is designed for the early detection of breast and ovarian cancer. The core of this latest platform has a sophisticated AI system that is capable of analysing complex medical data, including diagnosis, with absolute accuracy and efficiency. This platform has deep learning models. As the volume of data increases, this platform self learns to improve its outcomes.
Breast and ovarian cancers are the most common kinds of cancer among women in India which is why the first application of this platform has been done by AIIMS in these two domains.
Also read: 7-day yoga plan for better health and metabolism
Another hospital that is harnessing the potential of AI for cancer treatments is Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital. In comparison to the rising cases in India, there is a shortage of specialists that poses a lot of problems. To address this issue, the hospital has established a ‘Bio-Imaging Bank’ for cancer. Through this, the hospital is utilizing deep learning to create a cancer-specific tailored algorithm that helps in early-stage cancer detection. It incorporated data from 60,000 patients into the biobank in the last year.
It’s a comprehensive resource that has been strategically designed for the training, validation, and rigorous testing of AI algorithms.
Apart from database creation, the project involves training and testing multiple AI algorithms using the gathered data, addressing medically relevant tasks like screening for lymph node metastases, nucleus segmentation and classification, biomarker prediction like HPV in oropharyngeal and EGFR in lung cancer, and therapy response prediction.
Also read: King Charles Diagnosed With Cancer, Announces Buckingham Palace
This project is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, in collaboration with IIT-Bombay, RGCIRC-New Delhi, AIIMS-New Delhi, and PGIMER-Chandigarh.
According to a recent study published in the Lancet, it is globally estimated that out of 80% of cases reported late, only 20% survive. It added that out of 20% of cases detected at an early stage have a survival rate of 80% or higher. Early detection is a very crucial aspect in reducing fatalities due to cancer and AI is playing a fundamental role in doing that. Furthermore, another serious issue that frequently arises is wrong detection of cases, which means falsely declaring a cancer patient as healthy. Use of AI is majorly contributing in reducing such cases.
Considering the way AI is helping with the accuracy of detection of cases, it has very positive prospects in the future and is likely to contribute to a greater extent to reduction of fatalities due to cancer.
By Dr. Lalit Kumar, Chairperson – Oncology & BMT, Artemis Hospital Gurugram
ALSO READ: Why the Winter Months Turn into an Infection Breeding Ground?
