Researchers at University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in the UK have developed an AI-based tool that can analyse brain tumour scans.

The tool accelerates the assessment process and enhances the personalisation of patient treatment.

Its capability to analyse scans in three seconds, a task that takes experienced neuroradiologists approximately five minutes, could significantly improve the prediction of treatment outcomes.

A workforce analysis suggests that if this system was implemented nationally, the country's National Health Service (NHS) could save more than ￡1.5m ($1.9m) within the next three years.

The AI tool addresses the uniqueness of each patient's tumour imaging, providing a detailed analysis that includes tumour location, size, and its relation to vital brain structures.

Research involving 1,172 patients demonstrated the tool's accuracy across diverse ages and sexes.

UCL researcher and lead author Dr James Ruffle said: “Given that the imaging appearances of an individual’s brain tumour vary greatly from one patient to another, artificial intelligence technologies provide an innovative solution to enhance healthcare workers’ data-driven decision making, improving and personalising care for each individual affected, and at near-zero additional cost to the NHS - and with savings to the NHS over the medium term.”

UCLH lead teenage and young adult neuroradiologist and senior author Dr Harpreet Hyare added: “This work shows real promise in enabling neuroradiologists to provide accurate and quantified descriptors of brain tumours.

“Thanks to an Innovation Fund award from The National Brain Appeal, we now look to translate this tool into clinical practice. By providing objective quantitative assessments of different brain tumour components that can be monitored over time, we can enable clinicians to plan treatment more effectively at critical time points.”

The team is developing this AI imaging tool, among others, for neuro-oncology applications, to introduce them into clinical settings.

The research received funding from the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health Research UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, and The National Brain Appeal for translational work.

"UCL and UCLH develop AI-based tool for brain tumour scan analysis" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand.

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