VA Cleveland researchers are putting artificial intelligence (AI) to work to improve rectal cancer diagnosis and find the best treatment options for Veterans.
Lead researcher Dr. Satish Viswanath and his colleagues recently received VA Merit Award funding to create an AI algorithm to analyze MRI scans. The four-year study will take advantage of VA’s large data pool to optimize and validate the new tool, which could help Veterans with rectal cancer avoid invasive treatments and maintain the best quality of life. The researchers have already begun their analysis by starting with existing clinical MRI scans, which are routinely acquired during patient care.
Colorectal cancers are the third most common type of cancer in military personnel, affecting up to 8% of Veterans and 5% of active-duty Service members. More than 145,000 patients in the United States were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2023, with more than 46,000 of those cases localized to the rectum.
According to Viswanath, it is critical to address colorectal cancer in the Veteran population because “they are relatively underserved in this aspect and thus often suffer significantly worse comorbidities, stresses, and burdens, as well as potentially suffering worse outcomes compared to the general population.”