National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), Cathay General Hospital and aetherAI yesterday announced an artificial intelligence (AI) system to help detect polyps and tumors during colonoscopies, with 96 percent accuracy.
The aetherAI Endo system reviews colonoscopy images, performing AI inference at 30 frames per second, and sounds an alert when a suspected polyp or tumor is detected, Cathay General Hospital gastroenterology division director Hung Chih-sheng (洪志聖) said.
The AI engine was trained using more than 400,000 colonoscopy images, including of pre-cancerous flat polyps that were more difficult to detect, collected from more than 3,000 patients at the two hospitals, Hung said, adding that the system increased the accuracy of adenoma detection by about 14 to 30 percent.
Photo courtesy of National Taiwan University Hospital
Nearly 17,000 new colorectal cancer cases have been reported annually in the past few years, Health Promotion Administration Data showed, and studies have suggested that colonoscopies are associated with a reduction in the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer.
NTUH colorectal cancer screening project leader and gastroenterologist Chiu Han-mo (邱瀚模) said that the prevalence of colon cancer in people aged 50 or older is about two to three people per 1,000, and getting a colonoscopy can detect precancerous tumors early, reducing the risk of them developing into cancer.
However, some doctors might have difficulty identifying lesions during a colonoscopy, he said, citing a study that suggested that if the accuracy of adenoma detection during colonoscopies increased by 1 percent, the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer could be reduced by 3 and 5 percent respectively.
NTUH superintendent Wu Ming-shiang (吳明賢) said that colorectal cancer has been the most common cancer in Taiwan for 14 consecutive years, but although about 400,000 colonoscopies are performed each year, the accuracy is not always the same.
Cathay General Hospital superintendent Lee Fa-kung (李發焜) said that gastroenterologists might be tired after performing seven to eight colonoscopies, making it easier for them to miss lesions or polyps, which is why a software-assisted system could significantly improve detection.
Wu said that clinical trials of aetherAI Endo are being conducted at NTUH, the National Taiwan University Cancer Center, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital and Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS