Google and iCAD Collaborate to Empower Cancer Care Using AI
Technology giant Google has forged an alliance with iCAD, a pioneer in medical technology. The collaboration aims to harness the immense potential of computational intelligence in reshaping cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Main Agreement Points
- Integrating Google’s deep learning technology with iCAD’s ProFound Breast Health Suite designed for mammography examinations.
- Following requisite regulatory approvals, Google’s AI could function as a standalone reader to evaluate mammograms and identify breast cancer swiftly and accurately.
- Expanding worldwide access to potential life-saving technology, iCAD’s commitment to offer free cancer screening to underserved communities in select countries.
Fighting Radiologist Shortage with AI
Usually, a mammogram is evaluated by a pair of radiologists. However, the increasing scarcity of radiologists on a global scale has made this two-reader approach challenging. Dana Brown, iCAD’s CEO, pointed out that implementing Google’s exemplary AI capabilities in ProFound Detection could offer a practical single-reader alternative.
Brown stated in an official press release, “Healthcare organizations are looking for clinically validated solutions that can make their radiology departments operate more effectively and handle the escalating workload efficiently. By harnessing the impressive abilities of ProFound Detection, iCAD aims to provide a practical option to the current two-reader workflow.”
Key Results and Benefits
- Significantly improves accuracy
- Reduces false positives and unnecessary callbacks
- Accelerates reading time
The recent partnership draws on an initial agreement inked in November last year aligning the breast cancer detection capabilities of both firms. This new amendment was signed earlier this month, with Google’s AI abilities surpassing expert human radiologists in mammogram interpretation.
Google’s AI Outperforms Human Radiologists
According to a 2020 study, Google’s AI held an 11.5% higher accuracy rate than the average human reader. Moreover, simulations portrayed that it could handle about 88% of the workload of the second reader in a two-reader system without comprising the quality of its performance.
As iCAD’s CEO emphasized, blending Google’s AI with iCAD’s solutions will extend the reach of potentially life-saving technology to women worldwide. Furthermore, iCAD’s pledge to offer free cancer examinations to underprivileged groups in particular countries exemplifies their belief that a person’s location should not influence their chance to survive.
Recent AI Developments in Healthcare
- CancerGPT: AI that predicts treatment outcomes in cancer research.
- Ankh: An AI system understanding complex proteins’ language for new disease insights.
- Senolytics: AI-discovered senolytics show potential against age-related disorders.
AI is breaking new ground in healthcare. As Decrypt reported recently, researchers have utilized AI to develop CancerGPT. This innovative computational model leverages large pre-trained language models (LLMs) to forecast the impact of varying drug combinations on unusual human tissues in cancer patients. This could revolutionize experimental cancer treatments and risk evaluation for specific drugs in cancer therapy.
Furthermore, Ankh, an AI system capable of comprehending the language of complex proteins, could uncover new insights into diseases. Elsewhere, AI-discovered senolytics have shown promise in combating age-related illnesses.
The future of cancer detection and improving patient outcomes worldwide is promising, thanks to AI’s advancements. As artfully put by iCAD’s CEO, this technological collaboration levels the odds and offers every woman the best opportunity at early cancer detection.