In breakthrough, Japanese researchers use AI to identify early-stage stomach cancer with high accuracy

Two Japanese national research institutes said Saturday they have succeeded in using artificial intelligence to identify early-stage stomach cancer with a high accuracy rate.

The breakthrough may help extend the lives of more cancer patients in Japan, where stomach cancer is one of the leading causes of death.

According to Riken and the National Cancer Center, it took AI only 0.004 seconds to judge whether an endoscopic image showed early-stage cancer or normal stomach tissue. AI correctly detected cancer in 80 percent of cancer images, while the accuracy rate was 95 percent for normal tissue.

The accuracy rates were as high as those of veteran doctors, the institutes said, adding that they will aim to put AI into practical use as a device to support doctors in making diagnoses.

Stomach cancer causes few symptoms and is often found only after it reaches an advanced stage. At an early stage, even specialists have a difficult time distinguishing the cancer from inflammation.

A team of researchers at the institutes prepared 100 endoscopic images of early-stage stomach cancer and 100 images of normal stomach tissue to test AI capabilities. The detection method is known as deep learning.

According to the results of a large-scale study released in January 2016, people diagnosed with cancer stand a 58.2 percent chance of surviving for another 10 years, according to the National Cancer Center. The survival rate for five years is 63.1 percent.

By degree of disease progression, the five-year survival rate of all types of cancers found at Stage I, however, stood at 90.1 percent, with the 10-year rate standing at 86.3 percent.

But in Stage IV cases, where cancer has spread to other tissues or organs, the five-year survival rate is only 17.4 percent and the 10-year rate a mere 12.2 percent.

Source:.japantimes.co.jp