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A study set out to find out whether artificial intelligence ,aye) may help doctors make better decisions when it comes to treatment prostate cancer,
While prostate cancer diagnosis has become more secure and accurate, it can still be challenging for physicians to know how aggressive the disease is in individual patients.
This can sometimes lead to men needing surgery or radiotherapy when they could have been monitored.
The Vanguard Path study is led by researchers at the University of Oxford and is funded by £1.9 million from the charity Prostate Cancer UK.
Experts will first test the technology – called the ArteraAI prostate biopsy assay – on prostate biopsy samples from men who have already been diagnosed and treated for the disease and who have at least five years of follow-up data.
The study will compare how well the predictions made by the AI tool match those of patients in the real world.
It will then be tested in real clinics on biopsies from men who are diagnosed, focusing on cases in which doctors find it difficult to decide the best course of treatment.
Three NHS Participating sites are North Bristol NHS Trust, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Professor Claire Verrill, lead researcher on the project, said the trial would “pave the way for advanced AI technologies” on the NHS.
“This will provide more detailed and accurate information to men who will be able to make better-informed decisions with their clinical team about whether they can be safely monitored or need treatment – and, if so, help guide those decisions,” he said.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “AI has the potential to massively improve prostate cancer care and ensure each man has the most accurate and best treatment plan for his specific cancer.
“We have been working with Artera for many years and I believe their AI tool is one of the most exciting tools developed. But exciting AI tools can only make a difference if they can be properly evaluated.
“This new project from Professor Verrill and his team is very exciting, as it tests this new technology in a real-world setting, meaning we can provide the final evidence needed to implement it in the NHS.”
According to Prostate Cancer UK, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and one in eight men will develop it in their lifetime.
According to the National Prostate Cancer Audit (NPCA), about 58,218 men in England will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024, up from 53,462 a year earlier.
Andre Esteva, chief executive and co-founder of Artera, said: “We developed the ArteraAI prostate biopsy assay to help improve the lives of prostate cancer patients and have spent years gathering evidence about its potential impact.
“We are delighted to be working with Professor Verrill and his team to see how the test can be used to maximize benefit for men in the NHS and hope that we will soon see this tool being used to personalize prostate cancer care for men in the UK.”
News of the study comes days after it was revealed that an NHS trial would use AI to interpret MRI scans of men suspected of having prostate cancer.
If the software detects a scan that is considered high risk for disease, it will be sent to a radiologist for priority review and the patient will be booked in for a biopsy on the same day.
The specialist can then review the results and either rule out or rapidly diagnose prostate cancer.
NHS England said the pilot project would be run in 15 hospitals.