Artificial Intelligence software 'can detect bowel cancer in less than a second'

New Artificial Intelligence software built in Japan can detect bowel cancer in patients in less than a second, according to researchers (file photo)
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Alexandra Richards30 October 2017

New Artificial Intelligence software built in Japan can detect bowel cancer in patients in less than a second, researchers have claimed.

The system can accurately pin point cancer in less than a second by recognising cancerous polyps in endoscopy images, experts said.

The results of the research carried out by Showa University in Yokohama, Japan were presented at United European Gastroenterology Week in Barcelona, Spain.

Scientists revealed how the AI system was presented with 306 images of colorectal polyps – growths found in the bowel in 250 men and women.

The sample included cancerous and non-cancerous polyps.

Taking less than a second to analyse each image, the AI system was able to correctly identify malignant cases.

The system works by comparing the samples to more than 300,000 previous images of polyps used for machine learning.

During the trial the AI system correctly identified 94 per cent of cancers.

Dr Yuichi Mori from Showa University said: “The most remarkable breakthrough with this system is that artificial intelligence enables real-time optical biopsy of colorectal polyps during colonoscopy, regardless of the endoscopists' skill,

"This allows the complete resection of adenomatous (cancerous) polyps and prevents unnecessary polypectomy (removal) of non-neoplastic polyps.”

According to Cancer Research UK, there are approximately 41,000 new cases of bowel cancer diagnosed in the UK each year.

Bowel cancer is a cancer that begins in the large bowel, it can sometimes lead to colon or rectal cancer.

The NHS sites the three main symptoms of bowel cancer to be change in your bowel habit, persistent blood in stools and lower abdominal pain.

Incidence rates are highest in people aged 85-89 and 44 per cent of cases in the UK are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over each year.

Dr Mori said that the University believed that the results of the research were “acceptable for clinical application” and he said that the immediate goal is to “obtain regulatory approval for the diagnostic system.”

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