
There are few things in life more frightening than a possible cancer diagnosis. Now the machines are here to help. Paragon Biosciences and Qlarity Imaging have figured out a way to harness the power of artificial intelligence to help humans catch cancer earlier and more accurately.
QuantX recently became the first-ever computer-aided breast cancer diagnosis system cleared by the FDA for use in radiology, but it’s not putting radiologists out of a job any time soon. “Radiology is the backbone of diagnosing many diseases today,” said Jeffrey Aronin, chairman and CEO of Paragon Biosciences. “We believe the future is radiologists with technology.”
The combination of humans and machines apparently works really well. In a clinical study, QuantX helped radiologists interpret MRIs, noting the differences between cancerous and noncancerous breast lesions. Using the AI-fueled software led to a 39% reduction in missed breast cancers, as well as a 20% overall diagnostic improvement. It’s a win for the machine age as well as for women anxiously awaiting the results of their breast MRIs. (Currently, the technology is just for women who require a breast MRI, typically used for women with a higher than average risk of breast cancer.)