AI that measures its own uncertainty could improve liver cancer detection
“These advancements, by providing more reliable and efficient diagnostic tools, may significantly impact clinical practice by addressing the ever-growing clinical demand and work pressure, while maintaining interpretability and clinical relevance”
2025-04-08
(Press-News.org)
“These advancements, by providing more reliable and efficient diagnostic tools, may significantly impact clinical practice by addressing the ever-growing clinical demand and work pressure, while maintaining interpretability and clinical relevance.”
BUFFALO, NY – April 8, 2025 – A new editorial was published in Oncotarget, Volume 16, on April 4, 2025, titled “Deep learning-based uncertainty quantification for quality assurance in hepatobiliary imaging-based techniques.”
Dr. Yashbir Singh from Mayo Clinic and his colleagues discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) can improve liver imaging by recognizing when it might be wrong. This approach, called “uncertainty quantification,” helps clinicians better detect liver cancer and other diseases by pointing out areas in medical scans that need a second look. The authors explain how these AI tools could make imaging results more accurate and reliable, which is especially important when diagnosing serious conditions like liver tumors.
Liver and bile duct imaging is difficult because of the organ’s complex structure and differences in image quality. Even skilled radiologists can struggle to identify small or hidden tumors, especially in patients with liver damage or scarring. The editorial explains how new AI models not only read medical images but also measure their own confidence. When the AI system is unsure, it can alert clinicians to take a closer look. This extra layer of information can reduce missed diagnoses and improve early detection of liver cancer.
One of the most advanced tools described in the editorial is called AHUNet (Anisotropic Hybrid Network). This AI model works with both 2D and 3D images and can highlight which parts of a scan it is most confident about. It performed well when measuring the entire liver and showed how its confidence dropped when scanning smaller or multiple lesions. This feature helps clinicians know when more testing or review is needed.
The authors also looked at other AI models used in liver imaging. Some tools were able to analyze liver fat using ultrasound images and give clinicians both a result and a confidence score. Others improved the speed and accuracy of liver magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, helping to create clear images in less time. These advancements could help hospitals work faster and provide better care.
The editorial highlights how this technology can be especially helpful in smaller clinics. If they do not have liver specialists, they could still use AI systems that flag uncertain results and send them to larger centers for review. Such an approach could improve care in rural or less-resourced areas.
“Radiology departments should develop standardized reporting templates that incorporate uncertainty metrics alongside traditional imaging findings.”
By using AI tools that know when to second-guess themselves, clinicians may soon have more reliable methods for detecting liver cancer and monitoring liver disease. The authors suggest that uncertainty-aware AI may soon become a vital part of everyday medical imaging, supporting faster and more accurate decisions in liver disease care.
Continue reading: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28709
Correspondence to: Yashbir Singh — singh.yashbir@mayo.edu
Keywords: cancer, deep learning, uncertainty quantification, radiology, hepatobiliary imaging
Click here to sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article.
About Oncotarget:
Oncotarget (a primarily oncology-focused, peer-reviewed, open access journal) aims to maximize research impact through insightful peer-review; eliminate borders between specialties by linking different fields of oncology, cancer research and biomedical sciences; and foster application of basic and clinical science.
Oncotarget is indexed and archived by PubMed/Medline, PubMed Central, Scopus, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).
To learn more about Oncotarget, visit Oncotarget.com and connect with us on social media:
X
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Spotify, and available wherever you listen to podcasts
Click here to subscribe to Oncotarget publication updates.
For media inquiries, please contact media@impactjournals.com.
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-04-08
LOS ANGELES — Researchers at City of Hope®, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. with its National Medical Center named top 5 in the nation for cancer by U.S. News & World Report, have identified a new molecular target for treating pancreatic cancer, reports a Gastroenterology study published today.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the deadliest human cancers worldwide because it evades most treatments. With few therapeutic options, 90% of these patients don’t ...
2025-04-08
When we picture sea turtles in the wild, it’s easy to envision them as armored warriors – their hard, resilient shells serving as near-impenetrable shields against oceanic threats like sharks. These sleek, streamlined shells aren’t just defensive – they’re engineered for speed, efficiency and survival. Designed to minimize drag, they allow sea turtles to glide effortlessly through the water, dive to astonishing depths, and handle the immense pressure shifts as they surface.
A sea turtle’s ...
2025-04-08
The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) have jointly developed the 'spray drying technology-based high-performance dry electrode manufacturing technology' for the realization of high-capacity secondary batteries.
Secondary battery electrodes are made by mixing 'active materials' that store electrical energy, 'conductive additives' that help the flow of electricity, and 'binders' which act as a kind of adhesive. There are two methods for mixing these materials: the 'wet ...
2025-04-08
Conventional food production and distribution systems degrade the environment due to several aspects, like overuse of fertilizers and high greenhouse gas emissions. This necessitates a shift towards low environmental impact, sustainable food systems like Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). In CSA, consumers pay producers in advance for their harvest. In this way, farmers get financial stability, and consumers get a chance to engage in farming activities, which ultimately strengthens local food systems.
Despite its benefits, there are few studies on what makes consumers participate in CSA, particularly outside Western countries. Specifically, in Japan, where CSA ...
2025-04-08
EMBARGOED UNTIL TUESDAY 8TH APRIL 13:25 CEST
CANNABIDIOL THERAPY COULD REDUCE SYMPTOMS IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS
Tuesday 8th April, 13:25 CEST - New research presented at the 2025 European Congress of Psychiatry reveals that the use of cannabidiol (CBD) cannabis extract can lead to meaningful benefits and improve the behaviour of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD affects approximately 1 in 100 children around the world and symptoms can include difficulty interpreting language, ...
2025-04-08
Every galaxy is thought to form at the center of a dark matter halo – a region of gravitationally bound matter that extends far beyond the visible boundaries of a galaxy. Stars are formed when gravity within dark matter halos draws in gas, but astrophysicists don’t yet know whether star-free dark matter halos exist.
Now Ethan Nadler, a computational astrophysicist at UC San Diego, has calculated the mass below which halos fail to form stars. This work was done using analytic predictions from galaxy formation theory and cosmological simulations.
"Historically, our understanding of dark matter has been ...
2025-04-08
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Just steps from the center of Tikal, a 2,400-year-old Maya city in the heart of modern-day Guatemala, a global team of researchers including scholars from Brown University have unearthed a buried altar that could unlock the secrets of a mysterious time of upheaval in the ancient world.
The altar, built around the late 300s A.D., is decorated with four painted panels of red, black and yellow depicting a person wearing a feathered headdress and flanked by shields ...
2025-04-08
DALLAS, April 8, 2025 — For students to get their health into the endzone, a mix of various cardio and strength exercises that work different parts of the body is ideal for whole body health, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. That is why the American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL), in collaboration with the 32 teams, held the NFL PLAY 60 Exercise Blitz to get students moving leading up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Three schools, named the national winners of the Exercise Blitz, received $1,000 NFL PLAY 60 grants for improvements to the schools’ physical ...
2025-04-08
A urinal designed to avoid urine splashback on the user and the floor will improve sanitation, bathroom cleanliness, and user experience.
Urinal designs have not materially changed in over a century. The style of urinal that was elevated to the status of artistic landmark by Marcel Duchamp in his 1917 dada art piece “La Fontaine” would not look out of place in today’s public restrooms. Use of a typical public urinal often results in splatter of urine outside the confines of the device—onto the floor and, most unpleasantly, onto the user, a situation that creates costly messes to clean and risks transmitting disease. Zhao Pan, Kaveeshan ...
2025-04-08
When faced with a potential threat, mice often freeze in place. Moreover, when two animals are together, they typically freeze at the same time, matching each other’s periods of immobility.
In a new study, researchers found that coordination during fear looks different in males and females — and changes when stress is involved.
Male-female mouse pairs consistently stayed in sync during stressful situations, even when the animals were strangers. Same-sex pairs were more likely to fall out of step.
The findings, published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, suggest that opposite-sex pairs may rely on a more flexible or complex coordination ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] AI that measures its own uncertainty could improve liver cancer detection
“These advancements, by providing more reliable and efficient diagnostic tools, may significantly impact clinical practice by addressing the ever-growing clinical demand and work pressure, while maintaining interpretability and clinical relevance”
