Tetris-inspired AI program can ID breast cancer in half the time
An automated medical image analysis program developed by researchers—deriving its functionality from Tetris, the widely known puzzle-piece video game—can identify breast cancer twice as quickly as existing methods, according to a Sept. 6 release from the University of Adelaide in Australia.
Researchers developed the autonomous program using artificial intelligence (AI) and MRI technology to detect breast tumors from a woman’s mammography scan operating with traversal movements like the classic video game, according to a published Sept. 6 by the University of Adelaide.
The researchers found their approach identified breast lesions 1.78 times faster than existing breast cancer detection methods, according to the release.
“Just as vintage video game Tetris manipulated geometric shapes to fit a space, this program uses a green square to navigate and search over the breast image to locate lesions. The square changes to red in color if a lesion is detected,” said Gabriel Maicas Sus, a PhD candidate at the University of Adelaide, in a prepared statement.
The researchers hope their program may help radiologists in making quicker and more accurate clinical decisions when analyzing medical images.
A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.