What You Need To Know
Urologic oncology researchers in the department of Urology at John Theurer Cancer Center received a significant grant to evaluate a new artificial intelligence-based technology from Artera that would enable doctors to better estimate how aggressive a prostate cancer might be after undergoing radical prostatectomy (prostate removal surgery). Such information would allow clinicians to know which patients may need more intensive therapy post surgery.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States. Nearly 300,000 men will learn they have the disease in 2024, but not all of them have prostate cancer that requires treatment. For many years, doctors have been assessing imaging tests, genomics, and biomarkers that may differentiate aggressive from slow-growing (indolent) early-stage prostate cancers.
The ArteraAI Prostate Test, an AI-enabled test, is the first of its kind to provide both prognostic and predictive results for patients with localized prostate cancer. Artera’s multimodal artificial intelligence (MMAI) platform leverages a unique algorithm that assesses digital images from a patient’s histopathology biopsy slide and their clinical data. The AI combines this information to determine their prognosis and predict whether a patient will benefit from a particular therapy. Nitin Yerram, MD, co-director of urologic oncology at JTCC, received a grant from Artera to assess the MMAI platform for estimating prostate cancer aggressiveness in men who have had a prostate biopsy and underwent surgery.
This project adds to Dr. Yerram's impressive list of innovative research projects. He is using another AI technology to detect bladder tumors earlier. He also received a grant to design an educational curriculum to help patients newly diagnosed with localized or metastatic kidney cancer navigate their treatment options more easily. Another grant funded a social media marketing campaign to advertise Men's Health Day, which provides free resources to Black men who would benefit from prostate cancer screening.
The project assessing the ArteraAI Prostate Test bolsters JTCC's commitment to customizing cancer care for each patient. "We're very fortunate to be one of the leading institutions to work with this company to meld biology with artificial intelligence. I think our quest to provide precision medicine will be augmented to an exponential level with the integration of AI," Dr. Yerram noted.
Hackensack’s nationally ranked Urology program, by U.S. News & World Report’s 2024-25 Best Hospital’s list, has been an early adopter of this latest technology for many years. Most recently the hospital invested in the HYDROS Robotic System, featuring FirstAssist AI™ treatment planning and advanced image guidance for the treatment of enlarged prostate and the Intuitive Surgical da Vinci 5 multiport surgical system. With more than 10,000 times the computing power and the first-of-its-kind force-sensing technology, the da Vinci 5 is the most advanced surgical technology available with the ability to bring future analytical insights supported through artificial intelligence. The goal of these investments, the team says, is to offer patients the highest quality care that exceeds national standards.