AI system can help ID cancerous lesions with IBD

"What is IBD?
IBD refers to two main conditions: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease that causes inflammation in the colon or large intestine. The lining of the colon becomes so inflamed that ulcers form, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other symptoms.

Crohn’s disease causes inflammation in any part of the digestive tract. Symptoms of Crohn’s disease include pain where inflammation is occurring in the digestive tract as well as ulcers, diarrhea, anemia, and weight loss.

Diagnosis of IBD many times includes a colonoscopyTrusted Source or endoscopy.

There is currently no cure for IBD. Current treatments aim to reduce symptoms and prevent complications such as colon cancer, malnutrition, and bowel obstructionTrusted Source.

AI and IBD
For this pilot study, researchers from Okayama University wanted to see how well the AI system they developed measured up to standard endoscopy in classifying lesions in people with IBD. These lesions called IBD neoplasiaTrusted Source are areas of abnormal cell growth that may or may not cause cancer.

First, the research team trained the AI system using 862 endoscopic images of 99 IBD lesions from people with IBD. The images were dated between 2003 and 2021 from two different hospitals.

Next, researchers asked endoscopists with more than 8 years of experience in gastrointestinal endoscopy to analyze the images and classify the lesions into two types. One of those types can sometimes cause a doctor to recommend a proctocolectomy — the surgical removal of the majority of the large intestine..." Lire la suite