Everyone talks about how artificial intelligence can assist doctors, but what does that mean? For Dr. Wayne Brisbane, assistant professor of urology at UCLA, it means he can approach prostate cancer surgeries with a more accurate picture of what he can expect to find. “Prostate cancer is a tricky disease,” he told Ruth, adding that it can be hard to know exactly how far a given tumor reaches. “I think about it like an octopus or crab. There’s a big body, but it’s got these little tentacles that extend out.” Those tentacles don’t appear on imaging scans, making it difficult for him to plan his surgeries. He’s started using Unfold AI, a technology that generates a heat map of the tumor based on biopsy and medical imaging. A 2023 study found the technology diagnoses clinically significant prostate cancer 97 percent of the time. The AI has a marketing clearance from the FDA and medical coding from the American Medical Association allowing for insurance reimbursement starting in July 2024. In addition to providing information that can help Brisbane determine the best treatment approach, it’s also a great tool for teaching patients about their cancer, he said. “Everybody wants the thing that’s the minimum amount with no side effects,” he said. “But I also tell them not every cancer is appropriate for that.” Even so: Unfold AI requires a fusion biopsy, which blends ultrasound and MRI imaging and uses expensive machinery not all health systems have. What’s next? “I think we’re in our honeymoon phase,” said Brisbane of early AI in medicine. He believes the next wave of AI will use data targeted to specific use cases.
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