An artificial intelligence (AI) driven biomarker has been developed to identify men with high-risk localized prostate cancer who can be spared long-term hormone therapy, according to a presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting on June 4.
The research was conducted by the Duke Cancer Institute in collaboration with ArteraAI.
Long-term hormone therapy, also known as androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), is often used alongside radiation in treating high-risk localized prostate cancer.
However, not all men require this treatment in the long term, which comes with potential side effects.
Successful AI-Based Digital Pathology Tool
The AI-based biomarker was trained using data from six clinical trials involving over 2,600 men with prostate cancer who had been treated with long-term ADT and radiation.
This AI tool digitally analyzed the patients’ biopsies and clinical data to determine which men could forego long-term ADT without an increased risk of the cancer spreading.
After the training phase, the AI-based tool was validated on another 1,192 patients in a randomized, controlled trial.
Results of the Study
The results of the study were promising, with the predictive AI biomarker identifying 34% of men who could benefit from short-term ADT.
These men could avoid the side effects of prolonged ADT without compromising the effectiveness of the treatment.
Additionally, the biomarker identified 43% of intermediate-risk men who would benefit from long-term ADT to reduce their risk of metastases over time.
Quote from the Lead Researcher
“Along with radiotherapy, ADT improves survival and reduces the risk of metastasis in men with high-risk localized prostate cancer, but not all men need to be on therapy over the long term,” said lead author Andrew J. Armstrong, M.D., professor in the departments of Medicine, Surgery and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke University School of Medicine.
“Having a predictive biomarker that accurately identifies men with high-risk localized prostate cancer to more optimal and personalized care would spare many from undergoing unnecessary treatment while identifying those men who would benefit most.”
If you care about prostate cancer, please read studies that coffee may help lower the risk of prostate cancer, and dairy foods may increase men’s risk of prostate cancer.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and results showing vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
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