The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): AIIMS, New Delhi, in collaboration with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), Pune, has unveiled an AI platform named iOncology.ai. This platform is designed to aid in the early detection of cancer, a statement from AIIMS Delhi has announced.
Cancer is a global health concern, with estimates indicating it to be more fatal than cardiovascular diseases in high-income and middle-income countries. According to Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) estimates, there were 19.3 million incident cancer cases worldwide in 2020, with India ranking third in the number of cases after China and the United States.
A recent study in the Lancet projected a significant increase in cancer cases in India by 2040. In 2022 alone, over 8 lakh deaths in India were attributed to cancer, with late detection being a major contributor to fatalities.
The iOncology.ai platform utilizes artificial intelligence to improve early cancer diagnosis and reduce false negatives in manual diagnosis. It incorporates deep learning models and has the capacity for self-learning to enhance its accuracy over time.
The platform’s initial focus is on breast and ovarian cancers, which are prevalent among women in India. AIIMS collected a dataset of approximately half a million radiological and histopathological images during examinations and diagnoses of breast and ovarian cancer patients. The platform was successfully used by AIIMS and has since been implemented in five district hospitals.
During a recent Med-Hackathon event at AIIMS, the iOncology.ai platform received positive feedback from clinicians and researchers for its user-friendly design and high accuracy. AIIMS is now looking to partner with other cancer hospitals and research centers in India to make this technology available more widely.
iOncology.ai is the result of a collaborative research and development initiative between the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, AIIMS, New Delhi, and CDAC, Pune.
