Researchers from Google Health found that using artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in the review of prostate biopsies improved the quality, efficiency, and consistency of cancer detection and grading. In a prostate biopsy, tissue is removed and assessed for cell abnormalities that may be linked to prostate cancer. The standard grading system for this procedure is the Gleason grade (GG) system, involving classification into 1 of 5 prognostic groups. Expert-level AI algorithms for prostate biopsy grading, like this one from Gooogle Health, have recently been developed to combat interpathologist variability associated with grading. In this diagnostic study, retrospective grading of prostate core needle biopsies was conducted at two medical laboratories in the US between October 2019 and January 2020.

A healthcare provider in Israel has begun to use what its vendor claims is the first-ever artificial intelligence-driven (AI) pathology diagnostic tool to go live in a clinical setting, according to an announcement. Maccabi Healthcare Services, which runs a pathology institute responsible for 160,000 histology accessions every year, recently started leveraging Ibex Medical Analytics' Second Read system, the tech developer said yesterday. The launch came after a pilot period in which the AI tool "identified isolated major errors" regarding prostate core needle biopsies, which were incorrectly diagnosed benign, according to Ibex. Although this is not the first clinical application of AI, Ibex said it is the first in this particular space, helping patients with prostate cancer and adding to a growing portfolio of the technology's diagnostic capabilities. READ: Leo Celi and the'Holy Grail of Personalized Medicine' "We are excited to be the first company to ever deploy an AI-based system in a clinically active pathology lab, leveraging the enormous potential of [AI] to make a real impact on human lives," said Joseph Mossel, MS, co-founder and CEO of Ibex Medical Analytics.