Clinical applications and implementation of artificial intelligence in lung cancer: predicting treatment response in advanced disease and risk of malignancy in lung cancer screening

Treating advanced disease and early detection are two main challenges in lung cancer. More than half (~55 percent) of people with advanced disease are unlikely to respond to a simple standard treatment. We’ll use advanced computer-assisted analysis technology to assess a special form of x-ray — computer tomography (CT) imaging to identify people less likely to respond to usual care. This, in turn, will allow care teams to provide more appropriate care decisions. Lung cancer screening uses CT to monitor abnormalities in the lungs. Some people with “normal looking” lungs on CT may rapidly develop aggressive cancer before the next CT appointment. We will use advanced technology to assess the “normal looking” lung CT images to identify early cancer-related changes in the lung tissue that can not be seen by the human eye. This research will guide personalized care decisions and improve the survival of people with lung cancer in BC. Our multidisciplinary research team at BC Cancer Vancouver includes cancer care clinicians, scientists, and patients and families with lived or living experiences with lung cancer. We will ensure the needs and priorities of those most likely to be impacted by our research will be integrated throughout the research.