Why is it in the News

Given the escalating cases of cancer, the shortage of specialists poses a significant challenge in curbing fatalities. To address this gap, Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), the biggest cancer hospital in India, is turning to artificial intelligence (AI).

Context:

• With the rising cancer cases, a notable challenge is the shortage of specialists, impacting efforts to reduce fatalities.
• To tackle this issue, Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) in Mumbai, India, the country's largest cancer hospital, is embracing artificial intelligence.
• The hospital is leveraging deep learning to establish a Bio-Imaging Bank for cancer, employing AI to develop a tailored algorithm specific to cancer diagnosis.

What is the Role of AI in Cancer Detection and Treatment?

• Early Detection through Identification of Tissue Changes and Potential Malignancies: AI analyzes radiological and pathological images, learning from extensive datasets to recognize unique features associated with various cancers.
  • This technology facilitates early detection by identifying tissue changes and potential malignancies.
• Predictive Models for Tumor Survival and Treatment Guidance: Comprehensive imaging generates longitudinal patient data, aiding in understanding behavior, treatment response, disease recurrence, and overall survival.
  • AI and machine learning protocols utilize this data to develop predictive models for tumor survival and guide treatment aggressiveness.
• Avoiding Unnecessary Chemotherapy: The creation of a tumor image bank allows for the development of algorithms for different tumors, assessing treatment responses directly from images and avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy for predicted non-responders.
• Maintaining Diagnostic Quality while Decreasing Radiation Exposure: Tata Memorial Hospital has added data from 60,000 patients to the biobank over the past year.
  • Using this data, AI successfully reduces radiation by enhancing images with AI algorithms, ensuring a significant decrease in radiation exposure to children without compromising diagnostic quality.
• Potential to Reduce Cancer Fatalities in the Future:
  • AI is poised to play a transformative role in cancer treatment, particularly in mitigating fatalities in rural India.
  • Its potential lies in tailoring treatment approaches based on diverse patient profiles, optimizing therapy outcomes.
  • AI swiftly detects cancer, eliminating the need for extensive tests and enabling even general practitioners to diagnose complex cancers.
  • This technology is set to significantly enhance precision in cancer solutions.

What is Bio-Imaging Bank?

• The overarching objective is to establish a robust repository incorporating radiology and pathology images intricately linked with clinical information, outcome data, treatment specifics, and additional metadata.
• This strategic design aims at facilitating the training, validation, and rigorous testing of AI algorithms.
• Functioning: In conjunction with creating the database, the project involves training and testing multiple AI algorithms using the accumulated data.
  • It is tailored to address medically relevant tasks, including screening for lymph node metastases, nucleus segmentation and classification, biomarker prediction, and therapy response prediction.
• Institutions Involved: The multi-institutional project receives funding from the Department of Biotechnology and collaborates with IIT-Bombay, RGCIRC-New Delhi, AIIMS-New Delhi, and PGIMER-Chandigarh.