Researchers at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals have received a $2.78 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve rectal cancer treatment. The team, led by Satish Viswanath, will use AI to analyze MRI scans of rectal tumors to better understand their response to therapy. The study aims to develop a non-invasive method to identify patients with no remaining tumor after therapy, reducing unnecessary surgeries. The project is supported by the new Center for AI Enabling Discovery in Disease Biology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
$2.78M Grant for AI-Driven Rectal Cancer Treatment Improvement
A five-year, $2.78 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute has been awarded to researchers at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals (UH). The funding will be used to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in improving treatment for rectal cancer patients. Rectal cancer is the third-most common type of cancer in the digestive system, with an estimated 46,000 people expected to be diagnosed this year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
The researchers plan to use AI to extract specific metrics from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to gain a deeper understanding of how rectal tumors respond to therapy. This approach aims to address the challenges clinicians face in determining which tumors are dying or significantly regressing after therapy, and which are not.
AI and Radiomic Signatures in Rectal Cancer Treatment
The primary objective of the research is to develop new types of radiomic signatures, which involve computational analysis of radiology and pathology images. These signatures will help determine how well patients have responded to therapy, according to Satish Viswanath, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve and the grant’s lead researcher. This will enable doctors to better personalize treatments for patients with rectal cancer.
The study will analyze medical images from over 900 rectal cancer patients using AI and a novel biology-driven radiomics approach. The research will also incorporate data collected in a previous clinical trial of rectal cancer patients. The investigators aim to develop a non-invasive and accurate method to identify rectal cancer patients who have no tumor remaining after therapy, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary surgeries and associated complications.
Integrating AI with Clinical Evaluation
Andrei S. Purysko, associate professor of radiology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and co-principal investigator, believes the study has the potential to uncover signatures of dying tumors by mining characteristics usually invisible to the naked eye. The team also plans to integrate AI with clinical evaluation to determine how to incorporate AI signatures into the clinical workflow.
The research will be led by Viswanath’s team, with support from the new Center for AI Enabling Discovery in Disease Biology at the CWRU School of Medicine. This center aims to bridge the gap between medical science and AI.
The Role of the New Center for AI Enabling Discovery in Disease Biology
The new center, co-led by Viswanath, was recently announced by School of Medicine Dean Stan Gerson as an extension of the school’s mission to improve human health through scientific discovery and education. Gerson believes the study will bring real survival and quality-of-life benefits to rectal cancer patients and is the first of many to come from the new center. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between medical institutions and disciplines in developing new therapeutic methods for cancer patients.
Personalizing Care for Rectal Cancer Patients
Emily Steinhagen, a colorectal surgeon at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and co-principal investigator, leads the team along with colleagues from the radiology, pathology, oncology, biostatistics, and surgery departments at CWRU, Cleveland Clinic, UH, and Medical College Wisconsin. Steinhagen believes that the ability to accurately evaluate response to chemotherapy and radiation will help personalize care by appropriately selecting patients for non-operative management. The findings of this study are expected to improve outcomes for all patients being treated for rectal cancer.
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