Artificial intelligence in oncology: current applications and future perspectives

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is concretely reshaping the landscape and horizons of oncology, opening new important opportunities for improving the management of cancer patients. Analysing the AI-based devices that have already obtained the official approval by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), here we show that cancer diagnostics is the oncology-related area in which AI is already entered with the largest impact into clinical practice. Furthermore, breast, lung and prostate cancers represent the specific cancer types that now are experiencing more advantages from AI-based devices. The future perspectives of AI in oncology are discussed: the creation of multidisciplinary platforms, the comprehension of the importance of all neoplasms, including rare tumours and the continuous support for guaranteeing its growth represent in this time the most important challenges for finalising the 'AI-revolution' in oncology.

Fig. 1. Current status of Artificial intelligence in oncology and related fields.

Summarising representations of the artificial intelligence-based devices, FDA-approved, expressed by oncology-related specialties (a: cancer radiology 54.9%, pathology 19.7%, radiation oncology 8.5%, gastroenterology 8.5%, clinical oncology 7.0% and gynaecology 1.4%) and by tumour types (b: general cancers 33.8%, breast cancer 31.0%, lung cancer 8.5%, prostate cancer 8.5%, colorectal cancer 7.0% and brain tumours 2.8%, others: 6 tumour types, 1.4% each).