Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing cancer care, with researchers developing tools that could help identify some of the deadliest cancers much earlier than doctors can on their own.
Dr. Peter A. Najjar, a surgeon and Johns Hopkins Health System’s clinical innovation vice president, joined FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” to discuss how artificial intelligence is already helping researchers improve cancer detection, speed up drug development and make patient care more efficient, while stressing that more real-world evidence is still needed before its full impact can be measured.
Najjar pointed to recent research involving pancreatic cancer, saying artificial intelligence models are helping researchers recognize patterns that would otherwise take physicians decades of experience to identify.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer because it is often diagnosed after it has already spread beyond the pancreas. According to the American Cancer Society, the overall five-year relative survival rate is just 13%. But when pancreatic cancer is detected before it spreads outside the pancreas, the five-year survival rate increases to 44%.
The disease has claimed the lives of several well-known public figures, including Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died from a rare form of pancreatic cancer; actor Patrick Swayze, known for his role in “Dirty Dancing”; and beloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, underscoring the devastating toll of a disease that is often difficult to detect in its earliest stages.
“Researchers were able to identify signs of pancreatic cancer up to 16 months ahead of human readers,” Najjar said. “Detection always allows us more treatment options.”
Beyond early detection, Najjar said artificial intelligence is also accelerating drug discovery by allowing scientists to test potential treatments using computer models before moving into laboratory testing.
HOW ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE
“Many cancer treatments are around figuring out which molecule binds to the right protein for a given cancer,” Najjar said, explaining that AI “dramatically speeds up drug development.”
While the technology has generated enormous excitement, Najjar cautioned against overstating its current capabilities.
“We absolutely need to move full speed ahead to bring this promise to our patients in the clinic,” he said. “But it is still very early days.”
For now, one of artificial intelligence’s most immediate benefits is improving the patient experience. Najjar said AI-powered medical scribes can organize records before appointments and automatically document visits, allowing physicians to spend less time typing and more time focused on their patients.
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