Study Finds AI Model for Prostate Cancer Mapping Accurate for Identifying Extent of Disease

A Stanford University-led study reports that Avenda Health's artificial intelligence (AI) software Unfold AI, was shown to be accurate and effective in identifying the extent of prostate cancer.  This could be helpful in reducing the likelihood that cancer could be missed and left behind during treatment. The study, "Prediction and Visualization of Lesion Extent in Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer using Artificial Intelligence," was published in the European Urology Open Science. The study demonstrates considerable promise for the technology to aid in reducing cancer recurrence rates.

The study, including 50 prostate cancer patients, found that the AI-driven approach which incorporates biomarker, biopsy, and image features would be better equipped to define cancer risk and treatment margins than the current standard of care. In particular, the rate of complete encapsulation of clinically significant prostate cancer by the AI margins was much higher than that of conventional margins (80% versus 56%). In nearly half of cases, clinically significant disease was found beyond conventional margin boundaries, indicating that a patient-specific treatment planning approach should be adopted for surgery, focal therapy and active surveillance.

"After nearly a decade of research and development, we are thrilled to see these promising results with independent validation of our AI mapping platform," said Shyam Natarajan, PhD,  co-founder and CEO of Avenda Health. "The prostate cancer space has seen little to no advancement in nearly 40 years, and we look forward to bringing this important information to more prostate cancer patients in the coming year."

"Our mission at Avenda Health has always been to bring personalized care to prostate cancer patients to improve quality of life. These study results will be instrumental in forging a path forward in providing an alternative to the standard of care and giving urologists and their patients the confidence in providing an effective prostate cancer treatment," said Brittany Berry-Pusey, PhD, co-founder and COO of Avenda Health.

One in eight men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. The current one-size-fits-all approach of treating the entire prostate‒because current MRI technology cannot identify the full extent of the tumor and cancer growth within the organ‒results in nearly 50% of patients losing their sexual or urinary function. Avenda Health's AI-driven approach personalizes the patient's treatment journey providing options to preserve quality of life and prevent recurrence. Providing physicians with a personalized, 3D visualization of the cancer offers a better informed decision on the course of treatment and the opportunity to preserve healthy tissue. Avenda Health's prostate cancer management platform, Unfold AI, received FDA clearance in late 2022, opening the door for more precise prostate cancer management using AI.