Rush Deploys AI System for Colon Cancer Screening

Rush University System for Health has implemented an artificial intelligence-driven tool for colon cancer screening.

The Medtronic GI Genius intelligent endoscopy system can help increase the ability to locate multiple polyps during a colonoscopy by 50 percent, resulting in enhanced diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases, according to the news release. The system operates with deep learning algorithms and detects colorectal polyps that the naked eye cannot see.

Rush, headquartered in Chicago, is the first hospital system in the US to deploy the GI Genius system for colonoscopy screenings, the news release states.

Research shows that about 5 percent of adults are diagnosed with colon cancer in their lifetime. The Medtronic system assists gastroenterologists in identifying colorectal polyps and can increase the adenoma detection rate (ADR) by up to 14.4 percent, according to one study. This is crucial because as this rate increases by 1 percent, it results in a 3 percent decrease in the chance of cancer forming between screenings.

Implementing this new AI system is also the first action taken in the collaboration between Medtronic and Rush.

“This new technology will make a significant impact in patient outcomes,” said Joshua Melson, MD, medical director of Rush’s high-risk clinic for gastrointestinal cancers in the Division of Digestive Diseases, in the press release. “Expert physicians will also benefit from this technology as they will be able to detect polyps more easily before they become cancerous. With colorectal cancer, early detection is critical.”

The new system will first be deployed at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Rush Oak Park Hospital, and Rush Oak Brook, all based in Illinois.

For providers, AI brings convenience to clinical workflow, despite the adjustment period faced when learning how to use it. Providers must understand the benefits and methodology of AI through the constant implementation of technology at an increasing rate.

AI-driven scanning has also proven effective at various times, especially in detecting cancer. For example, a study from 2020 show how researchers searching for cervical cancer used AI to build a whole-slide deep learning imaging platform that could detect precancer within cervical cells.

AI has also been highly resourceful in detecting, treating, and preventing the spread of COVID-19. In August 2020, New England Complex Systems Institute and XPPRIZE Pandemic Alliance announced a collaboration through which they intended to create a CT scan used for detecting COVID-19.