AI AND ROBOTICS
With the ongoing developments in technology , the future of cancer research is brighter than ever . Artificial intelligence ( AI ) has opened new doors for cancer detection and risk assessment , and advances in robotics have allowed physicians to perform operations more precisely — improving surgical outcomes for cancer patients .
UH Cancer Center associate member Bardia Konh , PhD , received over $ 700,000 in funding over a four-year period to study the use of medical robotics in prostate brachytherapy . This popular form of prostate cancer treatment uses needle insertions to place radioactive seeds into the prostate gland to kill the cancer cells . The study aims to formulate the first dynamic model for active needle insertions into soft tissue to improve the procedure ’ s accuracy , and ultimately the survival rate from prostate cancer .
In another study , UH Cancer Center Interim Deputy Director John Shepherd , PhD , investigated the use of AI to evaluate cancer risk through mammograms . Although breast density can sometimes be used to determine breast cancer risk , it is likely that there are other unknown factors hidden in mammograms that can help researchers be more accurate in their evaluations .
These studies , along with many others , will contribute to technological advancements leading to the development of new and improved cancer risk assessments and outcomes . Read more at
www . uhcancercenter . org / about-us / newsroom .
NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
TOP : RESEARCH TEAM AT ADVANCED MATERIALS & MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS ( AMMI ) LAB WORKING ON ROBOTIC BRACHYTHERAPY SYSTEM . MIDDLE : NEEDLE ARRANGEMENT PLANNING FOR HIGH-DOSE-RATE PROSTATE BRACHYTHERAPY USING ACTIVE ( CURVED ) NEEDLES . BOTTOM : EVALUATING CANCER RISKS THROUGH A MAMMOGRAM
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