The U.K. Society of Radiographers (SoR) has highlighted novel research at Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool that is using AI to potentially improve radiotherapy for prostate cancer patients.
The study, which recently closed, includes data collected from 2,232 patients and is evaluating whether an AI-driven contouring algorithm can help clinicians interpret MRI images quicker and with greater accuracy, SoR said in a blog post published on 8 January.
The images are part of a larger study evaluating whether radiotherapy treatments for prostate cancer can be reduced from an eight-week timescale down to just a four-week schedule. The initial research began almost two decades ago and found that an added “boost” dose of radiotherapy to tumor nodules in the prostate reduced relapse rates and secondary cancers without significantly increasing side effects.
However, the early research showed variability in how clinicians pinpointed tumor areas to target the boost dose. Preliminary findings suggest that the AI-driven contouring tool could reduce these inconsistencies, according to the post.
The study is being led by Dr. Alex Batty, a clinical fellow at Clatterbridge. Prof. Isabel Syndikus, a Clatterbridge consultant oncologist, is chief investigator on the project.
