Artificial intelligence excels at catching pre-cancerous cells

Authors of a new study on detecting precancerous polyps in colorectal cancer screening came to the conclusion that "Artificial Intelligence (AI) may detect colorectal polyps that have been missed due to perceptual pitfalls." They go on to say "By reducing such miss rate, Artificial Intelligence may increase the detection of colorectal neoplasia leading to a higher degree of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) prevention." According to a news release, a team of international researchers led by Mayo Clinic reported that AI "reduced by twofold the rate at which pre-cancerous polyps were missed in colorectal cancer screening." The Mayo Clinic defines a colon polyp as "a small clump of cells that forms on the lining of the colon" and says most are harmless. Yet, it cautions, "over time, some colon polyps can develop into colon cancer, which may be fatal when found in its later stages."