Deep learning assists in detecting malignant lung cancers

Radiologists assisted by deep-learning based software were better able to detect malignant lung cancers on chest X-rays, according to research published in the journal Radiology. "The average sensitivity of radiologists was improved by 5.2% when they re-reviewed X-rays with the deep-learning software," said Byoung Wook Choi, M.D., Ph.D., professor at Yonsei University College of Medicine, and cardiothoracic radiologist in the Department of Radiology in the Yonsei University Health System in Seoul, Korea. "At the same time, the number of false-positive findings per image was reduced." Dr. Choi said the characteristics of lung lesions including size, density, and location make the detection of lung nodules on chest X-rays more challenging. However, machine learning methods, including the implementation of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN), have helped to improve detection.