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AI helps radiologists detect more than 90% of prostate cancer cases in Spain
- This figure represents a 10%1 increase over the 80% average detection rate when radiologists do not use the tool.
- Spanish company Quibim’s QP-Prostate solution, which uses biopsy and MRI data for training, achieves higher accuracy than traditional methods.
- Madrid’s Nuestra Señora del Rosario Hospital is already using the software to help its radiologists with medical image analysis.
Madrid, October 17, 2024. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of healthcare is a reality that positively impacts the lives of cancer patients in Spain and the rest of the world. In 2023, approximately 30,000 cases of prostate cancer were detected in the country, making it the second most common type of cancer in men, after lung cancer, and almost 6,000 people died from this ailment.
Despite its high incidence -it is considered that 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives- and that the average 5-year median survival rate from advanced stage (Stage IV) disease is only 28%2, there is still insufficient population screening. Therefore, AI-based solutions such as QP-Prostate have become essential tools for cancer screening globally.
10% more sensitivity in prostate cancer detection
QP-Prostate is already present in numerous hospitals in the Spanish healthcare system. This software offers a sensitivity of 90.4% per 100 cases in the detection of prostate tumors, compared to 79.8% of detections made by radiologists when not using the tool, according to the study conducted in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “This additional 10% sensitivity opens a range of opportunities for patients, providing more complete and accurate information about the tumor. Consequently, it allows radiologists to make more efficient diagnoses in shorter periods of time, contributing to better patient care and improved diagnosis and treatment of the disease” says Dr. Angel Alberich-Bayarri, CEO and Founder of Quibim, the Valencian company that created the software.
QP-Prostate is already operational in hospitals in the Spanish healthcare system, such as the Hospital Nuestra Señora del Rosario, where experts can improve their detection sensitivity thanks to the tool. “For the Radiology Department, QP-Prostate has been a strategic tool in recent months. It allows us to optimize the reading of prostate MRI, which has seen the greatest increase in demand. It also allows us to have greater diagnostic confidence and therefore to analyze cases more efficiently. In the current context of the lack of radiologists we are experiencing, more than an added value, it is a necessity to be able to offer an early diagnosis to all patients, thus impacting their prognosis” mentions Dr. Eliseo Vañó, head of the hospital’s Radiology Service.
Spanish hospitals invest in AI for cancer treatment
Several more hospitals will soon implement this medical software that uses AI to detect potential lesions in medical images, improving prostate cancer prevention and treatment. “Incorporating Quibim’s AI in prostate MRI increases diagnostic accuracy for detecting clinically significant prostate cancer. It reduces unnecessary biopsies by increasing the specificity of the scan and improves efficiency, reducing the time of routine tasks such as the automatic segmentation of the prostate volume and lesions, with a final benefit for the patient” says Dr. Jerónimo Barrera, a leading radiologist in our country.
According to the National Statistics Institute (INE), 26.6% of the 433,163 deaths that occurred in Spain in 2023 were related to some type of cancer, making the disease the leading cause of death in our country for the first time. The aging population and lifestyle habits suggest an increase in the number of cases in the future. “AI tools still require supervision by radiologists, but in daily practice it is an important aid to diagnosis and can increase efficiency” concludes Dr. Barrera.
References
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Study conducted in 2023 by the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (USA).
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Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Facts. (s. f.). American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html