Early diagnosis in healthcare can be the difference between life and death, or between lifelong illness and expensive medical treatment. A lot of times, illnesses like non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly malignancies, may be treated more effectively if they are caught early. The top 10 causes of death in Jamaica continue to include cancer, which is followed by a number of NCDs. In many cases, early diagnosis is essential to preventing death or disability.
According to the World Health Organization, the most common cause of death worldwide is cancer, a general term for a variety of distinct types of malignant tumors (WHO). About 10 million people died worldwide from cancer-related causes in 2020.
The situation in Jamaica is generally the same as that of the rest of the globe because cancer is one of the top 10 causes of death globally and accounts for around 20% of all annual fatalities. We should have seen over 7,000 new cases of cancer in 2018, and the numbers are still climbing, according to statistics from the WHO International Agency for Cancer Research and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
As medical research and development advance, technology is being used increasingly frequently to aid in the diagnosis of many malignancies as well as other diseases in general. The most effective techniques to accomplish this goal are deep learning, computer, machine, and artificial intelligence (AI).
A cutting-edge cancer diagnostic tool that was created just a few years ago demonstrates the effectiveness and precision of artificial intelligence in the detection of cancer. Researchers from all over the world are developing similar systems to aid pathologists in making more accurate cancer diagnoses, and the system that was first developed by neuropathologist Matija Snuderl of New York University’s Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center “received state approval to use its AI classifier as a diagnostic test in October 2019.”
The AI is capable of identifying patterns and spotting details that are too minute for the human sight to see. This improves the possibility of spotting cancer in its earlier stages. In order to simplify and target treatment for improved patient outcomes, it can precisely capture cancer by type and subtype.
