Is the use of artificial intelligence the main stage for detecting polyps during colonoscopy?

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In this regard, CRC screening is one of the most important issues in modern preventive medicine. Colorectal polyps are potential predictors of CRC, and therefore represent one of the leading targets for screening colonoscopy. The difficulty of analyzing the information obtained during colonoscopy, including the size, location, shape, type of polyps, the need to standardize morphological data, determines that recently a number of works have promoted the opinion on the advisability of using various artificial intelligence (AI) methods to improve the effectiveness of endoscopic screening for CRC. At the same time, they point to a number of errors and methodological problems in the use of AI systems for the diagnosis of colorectal polyps. In this regard, the interpretation of the work of Shi et al, devoted to the use of a machine learning-based predictive model for monitoring the results of colorectal polypectomy, is undoubtedly interesting. In our opinion, the prospects for using AI to assess endoscopic screening for CRC look certainly positive, but the road to its widespread use will not be easy.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal polyps; Colonoscopy; Diagnostics

Core Tip: Endoscopic screening of colorectal polyps is one of the most relevant methods for preventing colorectal cancer. Recently, various artificial intelligence (AI) systems have been used extremely actively to improve the efficiency of polyp diagnostics during colonoscopy. However, until now along with increasing the efficiency of polyp detection and reducing the number of errors during colonoscopy, a number of modern studies note the presence of significant limitations and the possibility of false diagnostics when using AI in real clinical practice. The prospects for using AI for this issue are undeniable, but long-term efforts are required along this road.