Machine learning rivals human skills in cancer detection

Two announcements yesterday (April 21) suggest that deep learning algorithms rival human skills in detecting cancer from ultrasound images and in identifying cancer in pathology reports. Samsung Medison, a global medical equipment company and an affiliate of Samsung Electronics, has just updated its RS80A ultrasound imaging system with a deep learning algorithm for breast-lesion analysis. The "S-Detect for Breast" feature uses big data collected from breast-exam cases and recommends whether the selected lesion is benign or malignant. It's used in in lesion segmentation, characteristic analysis, and assessment processes, providing "more accurate results." "We saw a high level of conformity from analyzing and detecting lesion in various cases by using the S-Detect," said professor Han Boo Kyung, a radiologist at Samsung Medical Center.