PROSTATE

The Prostate project consists in the development of an assisted diagnosis system, based on Artificial Intelligence technology capable of identifying and classifying the presence of prostate neoplasms. In addition, Health Triage technology aims to make the examination much less invasive than the current diagnostic process, replacing, where possible, the random biopsy. As a matter of fact, this patented technology automatically integrates the anatomical and functional images of the magnetic resonance to produce a single synthetic map of the tumor area, providing information on the position, volume and aggressiveness of the tumor, elements that could avoid biopsy in cases of low aggressiveness.

The less invasive characteristics of this innovative technique could open new fields of application such as Active Surveillance in patients who are positive but who need periodic checks and new prevention programs on asymptomatic patients.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in the male population and accounts for approximately 20 percent of all cancers diagnosed in humans. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in industrialized countries, preceded only by lung cancer. The increase in the population and its simultaneous aging are expected to result in a significant increase in the number of PCa cases in the coming years. It is necessary to say that the data related to the survival of people who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer (about 90 percent after five years of diagnosis) are very encouraging, especially if we intervene in time.

prostata

PROSTATE

The Prostate project consists in the development of an assisted diagnosis system, based on Artificial Intelligence technology capable of identifying and classifying the presence of prostate neoplasms. In addition, Health Triage technology aims to make the examination much less invasive than the current diagnostic process, replacing, where possible, the random biopsy. As a matter of fact, this patented technology automatically integrates the anatomical and functional images of the magnetic resonance to produce a single synthetic map of the tumor area, providing information on the position, volume and aggressiveness of the tumor, elements that could avoid biopsy in cases of low aggressiveness.

The less invasive characteristics of this innovative technique could open new fields of application such as Active Surveillance in patients who are positive but who need periodic checks and new prevention programs on asymptomatic patients.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in the male population and accounts for approximately 20 percent of all cancers diagnosed in humans. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in industrialized countries, preceded only by lung cancer. The increase in the population and its simultaneous aging are expected to result in a significant increase in the number of PCa cases in the coming years. It is necessary to say that the data related to the survival of people who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer (about 90 percent after five years of diagnosis) are very encouraging, especially if we intervene in time.

SPREAD OF THE DISEASE WORLDWIDE

  • Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the male population (source Airc)
  • It is estimated that around 1 in 7 men will have PCa and 1 in 39 will die of it
  • One of the main risk factors for prostate cancer is age: two out of three cancers are diagnosed in people over 65 and 70 percent of men over 80 have prostate cancer
  • More than 30% of PCa are not diagnosed during the first biopsy (diagnostic delay)
  • The biopsy can cause bleeding and in 2-3% of cases also infections of the genitourinary system.

Early diagnosis is key. Prostate cancer is usually suspected based on rectal examination and/or PSA level, which is obtained with a blood draw. Diagnosis requires a biopsy and histological examination to definitively confirm the presence of a tumor in the prostate gland. It must be said that the biopsy is not entirely accurate. In this regard it is useful to remember that there are numerous benign pathologies that affect the prostate, especially after the age of 50, sometimes causing symptoms that could be confused with those of the tumor. In many cases this type of cancer is however treated with surgery and/or invasive therapies which are followed by non-negligible side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, with the need to resort to drugs or aids, and urinary incontinence with the need to resort to aids and, in severe cases, surgery. Also in this case, Health Triage’s AI technology aims to revolutionize the diagnostic process, introducing an Artificial Intelligence system, capable of identifying and classifying prostate cancer, using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). It is a significantly less invasive, more efficient and effective virtual biopsy process, which would allow a better clinical approach to prostate pathology.

Following the collaboration initiated with the Italian Society of Urology (SIU), the following members have joined the Prostate Scientific Board::