A university in Hong Kong has created a new AI tool that helps diagnose breast cancer, aiming to save doctors time. This AI tool, developed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, can analyze medical images and provide results that are as accurate as those from a radiologist with five years of experience. Researchers say this tool could reduce diagnosis time by up to 40%, helping doctors handle increasing workloads.
Chen Hao, a professor at the university, explained that the amount of medical imaging in China is growing by 40% each year, while the number of radiologists only grows by 4.1%. This gap puts extra pressure on radiologists to manage more cases. AI tools like this one, he says, won’t replace doctors but will support them by handling simpler tasks, allowing doctors to focus on patients with greater needs.
This AI tool was trained using data from over 10,000 patients in five hospitals and can distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous tumors using MRI scans. This may reduce the need for more invasive biopsies. Tests showed that this AI tool performs as well as a doctor with five years of experience and has a 90% accuracy rate, making it a reliable and time-saving option.
The research team is now working on expanding the tool’s database and is collaborating with hospitals to improve its accuracy. Although not yet ready for clinical use, the team is working closely with medical institutions to prepare it for future use. They are also developing another AI tool to help pathologists quickly examine slides for various types of cancer, aiming to save even more time and increase accuracy in diagnostics.
Source: scmp
