The traditional tissue biopsy method of cancer diagnosis has been around for more than 50 years. The method finds the presence of cancer, but frequently too late to treat it successfully.
As a researcher at the 世界杯赌场盘口 牙科学院, Rose Wang, Ph.D., focuses on establishing a system to identify the risk of cancer through 人工智能 and infrared technology. 她对这种方法很有信心, designed to intercept precancerous lesions before they become a deadly form the disease, can be applicable to other forms of cancer as well.
The scientific community has taken note of the promise behind Wang’s research. 她收到了430美元,000 developmental research grant in January for her innovative research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“We’re not trying to diagnose cancer itself,王说 “We are creating a system to detect high-risk precancers and to prevent them from becoming cancer. 如果我们能及早发现的话, 我们能做的还有很多, 而且治疗更有效. 我对此感到非常兴奋.”
Wang is studying the application of 人工智能, 比如机器学习, to analyze the biochemical data from tissue samples using infrared spectroscopic imaging, a device that provides higher dimensional data than traditional imaging methods, 比如显微镜. She uses both specialized software and open-source computer programs to train machine learning models to extract the most important information from what the spectroscopy shows. 细节的水平是巨大的, with each pixel providing thousands of variables across different wavelengths.
“Manually reviewing the data is almost impossible,王说. “that’s why we need to use machine learning to extract the important information and to train models for automatic risk stratification.”
Wang has pulled together an impressive research team from not only the UMKC 牙科学院, but also the UMKC School of Science and Engineering as well as the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her multidisciplinary team covers a wide range of expertise: infrared spectroscopy and imaging, 临床病理学, 人工智能, 口腔生物学和癌症生物物理学.
The current gold standard for cancer detection is the histopathological diagnostic approach, 为活组织检查切割组织样本. The sample is then sent to a pathologist to be visually evaluated for the presence of cancer. "Pathologists spend years to train their eyes to see those morphological anomalies and say cancer or no cancer,王说.
The pathologist looks for what is called morphological changes of cells and tissues. Unfortunately, these changes don’t show up until the cancer is already progressing. 据王说, the problem is that 70% of all oral cancers are diagnosed at late stages, leading to a low 50% survival rate at the five-year mark.
Precancerous lesions are not cancer but have increased risk of becoming cancer. 据王说, pathologists don't yet know how to differentiate which precancerous lesions, 即发育不良, 会转化为癌症. Sometimes the cells just stay in the precancerous state without becoming cancer. If the pathologist finds mild or moderate abnormalities, frequently clinicians will opt to observe the problem area over time.
"But what if the patient did come back in a year and suddenly they have cancer from even mild dysplasia?王说. "Right now, there is no reliable way to determine which precancerous lesions will become cancerous."
The other issue is the subjectivity of the traditional process. Wang said two well-trained pathologists can provide different diagnoses for the same tissue biopsy.
“The system we are developing will provide objective and quantitative diagnostic information and facilitate clinicians to make better management plans for their patients,王说. “Oral cancer survival is highly stage-dependent, and early detection can significantly improve patient survival rate. If we can catch them early, we can save lives.”