A.I. can now identify brain tumors better than humans

Analyzing biopsied tissue samples for signs of malignant growth is a crucial part of cancer diagnosis. But many places around the country suffer from a lack of neuropathologists, which prevents these fundamental procedures from happening in a timely manner. Recent studies have warned of a "pathologist gap" which may grow through 2030. Scientists have demonstrated an A.I. not only capable of completing such procedures in less than three minutes, but can do so more accurately than a human. Of the 15.2 million people around the world diagnosed annually with some form of cancer, nearly 80 percent will undergo biopsy surgery to remove and test a piece of the tumor. In the case of brain tumors, which this new study focused on, the testing process can take up to 30 minutes (if there's a neuropathologist on hand to conduct the test) and requires time and labor-intensive freezing, thawing and chemical staining of samples in order to make a diagnosis.