AI in Cancer Care: Artificial Intelligence Can Help Doctors Detect and Diagnose Cancer, Suggests Study
By using a combination of machine learning and deep learning, the AI examines 'DNA methylation' patterns and identifies 13 different types of cancer, including breast, liver, lung, and prostate cancers, from non-cancerous tissue with 98.2% accuracy.
London, June 20: A new study on Thursday reported that doctors may soon be able to detect and diagnose cancer in patients using artificial intelligence (AI), which will enable earlier treatment. The study, published in the journal Biology Methods and Protocols, reveals that researchers from Cambridge University and Imperial College London have trained an AI model. By using a combination of machine learning and deep learning, the AI examines 'DNA methylation' patterns and identifies 13 different types of cancer, including breast, liver, lung, and prostate cancers, from non-cancerous tissue with 98.2% accuracy.
"Genetic information is encoded in DNA by patterns of the four based, denoted by A, T, G and C, that make up its structure. Environmental changes outside the cell can cause some DNA bases to be modified by adding a methyl group. This process is called DNA methylation," the researchers explained.
Each cell contains millions of DNA methylation marks. Researchers have noticed alterations in these marks during the initial stages of cancer development, which could help in early cancer diagnosis. Shamith Samarajiwa, the paper's lead author, stated, "Computational methods such as this model, through better training on more varied data and rigorous testing in the clinic, will eventually provide AI models that can help doctors with early detection and screening of cancers. This will provide better patient outcomes." Blood Cancer Cases Rise in India.
Additionally, the researchers noted that recognizing these unusual methylation patterns, potentially from biopsies, would enable healthcare providers to detect cancer at an early stage. They further added that this could significantly enhance patient outcomes, as most cancers are treatable or curable when identified early.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2024 03:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).