JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – UF Health in Jacksonville is using a new tool to help doctors diagnose prostate cancer.
Dr. Shahla Masood, who is the chair of UF Health Jacksonville’s Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, said traditionally, doctors read slides of cells under a microscope, but with the help of artificial intelligence, more can be accomplished.
It usually takes a couple of days for human intelligence to evaluate a case but AI technology advances that process.
“Very quickly. This is something that if they send 100 cases per day, for example, at the end of the day, they have the information,” Masood said.
First, the slides must be digitized. Masood used two digital scanners.
Dr. Moshin Jamal, who is the director of Digital and Molecular Pathology, is in charge of sending the images to Paige Prostate in New York for evaluation by its artificial intelligence but first, doctors read the scans. The AI is just a tool to help.
“This will further assist us in making a distinction between benign tissue and malignant tissue, especially in challenging cases,” Jamal said.
The AI UF Health uses is from Paige Platform. It was approved by the FDA two years ago but only as an aide to help doctors identify areas of concern. A study found it improved cancer detection on individual slide images by 7.3%.
Masood said she doesn’t think artificial intelligence will ever replace doctors, but she is optimistic about its ability to enhance their work, allowing them to see more patients and make sure they’re not missing any signs of cancer.
UF is next hoping to expand its use of this technology to detect other diseases, as well.
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