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New Artificial Intelligence Tool Measures Mesothelioma Tumors

ByHolly Zink

New Artificial Intelligence Tool Measures Mesothelioma TumorsA new artificial intelligence tool can measure mesothelioma tumors without any human input.

Automated mesothelioma tumor measurement is now possible. The artificial intelligence algorithm performed well. There were 266 malignant pleural mesothelioma tumors analyzed.

This is the largest study of its kind performed in mesothelioma. And this is the first description of an automated artificial intelligence tool.

Inconsistent Mesothelioma Measurement During Clinical Assessment

In malignant pleural mesothelioma, complex tumors result in inconsistent clinical assessment. Promising new methods need practical computer automation methods.

A new publication showed an automated tool for this purpose. This study compared a new artificial intelligence tool with human standard clinical assessment.

This study looked at mesothelioma patients treated with chemotherapy.

Evaluating How Well the New Tool Works

This was a multi-center retrospective study. A total of 183 patients were split into groups. One group was for training and internal validation. A second group was used for external validation.

Humans annotated patient records to train the new artificial intelligence tool. Statistical analysis evaluated the artificial intelligence tool’s performance.

Scientists defined success between 20% to 30% change compared with human clinical assessment. The Kaplan-Meier method assessed patient survival.

Human and Artificial Intelligence Responses Mostly Agreed

Human and artificial intelligence assessments were very similar. Agreement between human clinical assessment and the new artificial intelligence tool was strong.

Human and artificial intelligence responses agreed in 67% of validation cases. Tool errors occurred in 4 out of 60 assessments.

Clinical Implications of a New Tool

The new artificial intelligence tool reported here is an important clinical development.

The tool needs more training and optimization. Then, it has the capacity of improving clinical decision-making. This tool will enable more practical tumor measurements.

This tool will show doctors the exact measurement of a mesothelioma tumor. This will impact treatment planning. It will allow doctors to make a more tailored treatment plan. It will also reduce the number of toxic treatments. This new tool will lower patient treatment costs.

This tool will cut the minimal measurable disease threshold. In other words, if we can measure the exact tumor size, there is no need to report broad categories.

Understanding Where to Go From Here

Scientists have released the first automated artificial intelligence tool for mesothelioma assessment.

Dr. Andrew Kidd at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital states, “…these data represent a strong proof-of-principle for development of similar tools for other cancers.”

The tool’s performance may be further improved with more training and calibration.

Sources

Kidd AC, Anderson O, Cowell GW, et al. Fully automated volumetric measurement of malignant pleural mesothelioma by deep learning AI: validation and comparison with modified RECIST response criteria. Thorax Published Online First: 02 February 2022. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-217808 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2021-217808

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