How AI Could Spot a Silent Cancer in Time to Save Lives NVIDIA Blog

It's no wonder Dr. Elliot Fishman sounds frustrated when he talks about pancreatic cancer. As a diagnostic radiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the world's largest centers for pancreatic cancer treatment, he has the grim task of examining pancreatic CT scans for signs of a disease that's usually too advanced to treat. Because symptoms seldom show up in the early stages of pancreatic cancer, most patients don't get CT scans or other tests until the cancer has spread. By then, the odds of survival are low: Just 7 percent of patients live five years after diagnosis, the lowest rate for any cancer. "Our goal is early detection of pancreatic cancer, and that would save lives," Fishman said.