Via McGill University: Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect the spread of metastatic brain cancer using MRI scans, without aggressive surgery.
The proof-of-concept study, from an international team co-led by McGill University researchers Dr Matthew Dankner and Dr Reza Forghani, demonstrated that the AI model can detect the presence of cancer cells in surrounding brain tissue with 85% accuracy. Researchers tested the model using MRI scans from more than 130 patients who had surgery to remove brain metastases.
They compared AI’s results to what doctors observed in the tumour tissue under a microscope, to verify its accuracy. The AI model detects subtle changes in the surrounding brain tissue that indicate cancer has spread, spotting patterns often too faint for traditional imaging methods that rely on human interpretation. Dr Danker said: “Our previous research found that invasive brain metastases are linked to shorter survival and a higher risk of tumour regrowth. These findings demonstrate the enormous potential of machine learning to soon improve our understanding of cancer and its treatment.”
“With further development, our AI model could become a part of clinical practice, which can help us catch cancer spread within the brain earlier and more accurately,” said Dr Benjamin Rehany, a Radiology Resident at the University of Toronto and one of the primary authors of the new publication.
While their work is still in the early stages, the researchers plan to expand the study with larger datasets and refine the AI model for clinical use.
