We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Artificial Intelligence Medical Imaging to Determine Which Rectal Cancer Patients Need Surgery

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 06 Dec 2021
Print article
Image: Artificial intelligence medical imaging to determine which rectal cancer patients need surgery (Photo courtesy of Case Western Reserve University)
Image: Artificial intelligence medical imaging to determine which rectal cancer patients need surgery (Photo courtesy of Case Western Reserve University)

Researchers plan to test artificial intelligence (AI) medical imaging to determine which rectal cancer patients need surgery - or can avoid it.

Building on its successes in applying AI to medical imaging to enhance treatment of other diseases, a research team, led by Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, OH, USA), will test its approach with rectal cancer patients. Specifically, the researchers hope to provide reliable guidance regarding whether patients need to have surgery as part of their treatment.

Currently, clinicians do not have a reliable way to predict which rectal cancer patients would respond favorably to treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation, so most patients have to undergo invasive surgery to remove the rectum and surrounding tissue. Previous research has reported that up to 30% of people diagnosed with rectal cancer have surgery they didn’t need, and often experience effects that hamper the daily life of the patient post the surgery. Those effects can include the need for a colostomy bag, even if temporary, and possible changes in everything from sexual function and infection to mental health, according to previous research.

In the new study, the researchers will work from imaging data from more than 2,000 rectal cancer patients who had been treated at hospitals over the last five years, and test their AI on about 450 to 500 patients. They will tetrospectively test their radiomics to determine if it could have shown which patients would benefit from chemoradiation therapy and which wouldn’t, requiring the surgery. Radiomics refers to the growing number of AI-driven methods to extract a large number of features from medical images using data-characterization algorithms. The features can then help uncover tumors and other characteristics usually invisible to the naked eye. Throughout this project, the research team will design and validate new types of radiomic tools to capture aspects of rectal tumors related to chemoradiation response. The team has already made significant strides in using the tools to predict treatment response to rectal cancer.

“In too many cases, patients are being overtreated,” said lead researcher Satish Viswanath, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering who is leading the work as a member of the Center for Computational Imaging and Personalized Diagnostics (CCIPD). “Instead, if our AI technology is successful, we could tell the clinician right up front—based on a routine MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan—if a patient will do well with only chemoradiation and then can be observed, without having this serious surgery.”

Related Links:
Case Western Reserve University 

Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Silver Member
Wireless Mobile ECG Recorder
NR-1207-3/NR-1207-E
New
Digital Radiography Generator
meX+20BT lite

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: Researchers have developed an advanced shear-thinning hydrogel for aneurysm repair (Photo courtesy of TIBI)

New Hydrogel Features Enhanced Capabilities for Treating Aneurysms and Halting Progression

Aneurysms can develop in blood vessels in different body areas, often as a result of atherosclerosis, infections, inflammatory diseases, and other risk factors. These conditions lead to chronic inflammation,... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.