The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Artificial intelligence could soon be used to identify prostate cancer patients with the deadliest form of the disease.
The pioneering computer software would allow doctors to decide which patients to give intensive and targeted treatments to early on, to stop the disease spreading.
The ambitious project, funded by Prostate Cancer UK, will involve studying blood samples from thousands of patients to spot genetic mutations linked to aggressive cancer.
‘Armed with this knowledge, we’ll develop a model that can predict if a man’s prostate cancer is going to be aggressive based on a blood sample,’ says Prof Ros Eeles at the Institute of Cancer Research.
‘This will help clinicians overcome significant challenges and could revolutionise the way prostate cancer is diagnosed, treated, and managed.’
Prostate Cancer UK are funding an AI software which will be able to identify men who will suffer from the most severe forms of prostate cancer
Some men develop aggressive prostate cancer, which can kill in a matter of years. Every year, 12,000 men die as a result
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK. Every year, around 55,000 men are diagnosed with the disease.
Many cases of are slow-growing. Some patients live with the condition for more than a decade with no symptoms and, sometimes, no need for treatment.
However, others develop aggressive prostate cancer, which can kill in a matter of years. Every year, 12,000 men die as a result.
But doctors don’t have a way to tell which patients’ cancers will become aggressive when diagnosed in an early stage.
Now, Prof Eeles and her colleagues say studying blood samples from men who have undergone radiotherapy will allow them to develop an AI model that can predict which men’s cancer is likely to come back after treatment.
The researchers will then test the accuracy of this software before it is rolled out on the NHS.
‘When a man gets the horrible – and often unexpected – news he has prostate cancer, it’s important that he gets the right action plan for his specific cancer right away,’ explained Dr Matthew Hobbs, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK.
‘We’ve invested in this research so that, eventually, men and their doctors will be equipped with more of the information they need in order to find and treat the deadliest cancers as quickly as possible.’
