Novel AI Tool Offers Prognosis for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer

Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that looks at CT scans to help doctors better predict whether oropharyngeal cancer (a throat cancer) is likely to spread.

🔍 What this tool does:

• It uses information from routine CT scans before treatment.

• The AI estimates how many lymph nodes show extranodal extension (when cancer spreads outside the lymph node), which is linked to a more aggressive disease.

• This kind of prediction used to require surgery to check lymph nodes, but the AI does it non-invasively.

📈 Why it matters:

• It may help doctors tailor treatment — identifying who might need stronger therapy (like chemo + immunotherapy) and who might avoid overly intense treatment.

• Tested on scans from over 1,700 patients, the AI improved predictions about cancer spread and survival when used with current clinical tools.

💬 In simple terms: this tool could give patients and doctors better information earlier, helping guide treatment decisions more precisely.

Read more at https://www.cancerhealth.com/article/novel-ai-tool-offers-prognosis-patients-head-neck-cancer