Machine learning improves the diagnosis of patients with head and neck cancers

IMAGE: Under the microscope, both squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck appear as dense cell groups with non-specific growth patterns, making them... view more Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) have successfully solved a longstanding problem in the diagnosis of head and neck cancers. Working alongside colleagues from Technische Universität (TU) Berlin, the researchers used artificial intelligence to develop a new classification method which identifies the primary origins of cancerous tissue based on chemical DNA changes. The potential for introduction into routine medical practice is currently being tested. Results from this research have been published in Science Translational Medicine*. Every year, more than 17,000 people in Germany are diagnosed with head and neck cancers.