1. Development and external validation of a transfer learning-based system for the pathological diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a large emulated prospective study
- Author
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Liuhong Yuan, Henghua Zhou, Xiao Xiao, Xiuqin Zhang, Feier Chen, Lin Liu, Jingjia Liu, Shisan Bao, and Kun Tao
- Subjects
CRC (colorectal cancer) ,pathological diagnosis ,AI-assisted pathological diagnosis ,transfer learning ,artificial intelligence (AI) ,Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens ,RC254-282 - Abstract
BackgroundThe progress in Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and management has resulted in an unprecedented caseload for histopathological diagnosis. While artificial intelligence (AI) presents a potential solution, the predominant emphasis on slide-level aggregation performance without thorough verification of cancer in each location, impedes both explainability and transparency. Effectively addressing these challenges is crucial to ensuring the reliability and efficacy of AI in histology applications.MethodIn this study, we created an innovative AI algorithm using transfer learning from a polyp segmentation model in endoscopy. The algorithm precisely localized CRC targets within 0.25 mm² grids from whole slide imaging (WSI). We assessed the CRC detection capabilities at this fine granularity and examined the influence of AI on the diagnostic behavior of pathologists. The evaluation utilized an extensive dataset comprising 858 consecutive patient cases with 1418 WSIs obtained from an external center.ResultsOur results underscore a notable sensitivity of 90.25% and specificity of 96.60% at the grid level, accompanied by a commendable area under the curve (AUC) of 0.962. This translates to an impressive 99.39% sensitivity at the slide level, coupled with a negative likelihood ratio of
- Published
- 2024
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