CLEVELAND — A collaboration has begun at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center with global health care AI innovator Qure.ai.
Through partnership, chest X-rays conducted will use AI to help identify lung cancers earlier in development.
The FDA cleared AI solution qXR-LN will be used as a second read of the X-rays, which will be compared to the radiologists’ own reading of the scans for suspicious lung nodules.
“Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. To improve early diagnosis and survival rates, current guidelines recommend low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening as the standard of care for high-risk individuals, such as smokers and former smokers. However, despite its proven benefits, CT screening uptake remains alarmingly low nationally — out of 100 eligible individuals, only about 16 actually undergo screening,” said Dr. Amit Gupta, Division Chief of Cardiothoracic Imaging and Modality Director of Diagnostic Radiography at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.
Gupta said one way to enhance lung cancer detection is to identify the early-stage nodules and cancers incidentally when patients have a chest X-ray for other reasons. However, this can be a challenge, as the subtle findings may be overlooked.
“This not only poses a substantial burden but also impacts patient care,” he said in a news release.
UH is now conducting a clinical trial to investigate the use of the qXR AI algorithm, by comparing its ability to detect pulmonary nodules to radiologist’s interpretations of the same scans.
“AI serves as an additional set of eyes for radiologists, enhancing detection by flagging lung nodules that may require further evaluation. This AI-driven approach may aid in identifying more nodules which we hope supports patient care and enables us to evaluate the broader impact of medical imaging AI,” said Gupta. “The clinical trial will evaluate how many patients require follow-up CT scans, biopsies, and how many more lung cancer cases are diagnosed earlier using AI.”
Gupta said the hope with this trial is that it not only advances early detection but also drives change in lung cancer surveillance.
“Chest X-ray AI presents a valuable opportunity to cast a wider net, to identify suspected malignant pulmonary nodules ranging from 6 to 30mm in size. This can boost the fight against lung cancer and improve outcomes for patients,” said Dr. Samir Shah, Chief Medical Officer at Qure.ai. “We look forward to working closely with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.”
