Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2022; 14(1): 124-152
Published online Jan 15, 2022. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i1.124
Development of artificial intelligence technology in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of colorectal cancer
Feng Liang, Shu Wang, Kai Zhang, Tong-Jun Liu, Jian-Nan Li
Feng Liang, Kai Zhang, Tong-Jun Liu, Jian-Nan Li, Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130041, Jilin Province, China
Shu Wang, Department of Radiotherapy, Jilin University Second Hospital, Changchun 130041, Jilin Province, China
Author contributions: Liang F wrote the paper; Liang F, Wang S, and Li JN performed the revision and approval of the final version; Zhang K and Liu TJ performed literature research; Wang S corrected the writing of the paper; Li JN designed the review; Liang F and Wang S contributed equally to this work.
Supported by The Science and Technology Development Project of Jilin Province, No. 3D5197434429; and National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 32000953.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian-Nan Li, PhD, Professor, Department of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, No. 218 Ziqiang Street, Changchun 130041, Jilin Province, China. jnli@ciac.ac.cn
Received: June 15, 2021
Peer-review started: June 15, 2021
First decision: August 8, 2021
Revised: August 19, 2021
Accepted: November 15, 2021
Article in press: November 15, 2021
Published online: January 15, 2022
Processing time: 209 Days and 18.6 Hours
Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has made leaps and bounds since its invention. AI technology can be subdivided into many technologies such as machine learning and deep learning. The application scope and prospect of different technologies are also totally different. Currently, AI technologies play a pivotal role in the highly complex and wide-ranging medical field, such as medical image recognition, biotechnology, auxiliary diagnosis, drug research and development, and nutrition. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common gastrointestinal cancer that has a high mortality, posing a serious threat to human health. Many CRCs are caused by the malignant transformation of colorectal polyps. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to CRC prognosis. The methods of diagnosing CRC are divided into imaging diagnosis, endoscopy, and pathology diagnosis. Treatment methods are divided into endoscopic treatment, surgical treatment, and drug treatment. AI technology is in the weak era and does not have communication capabilities. Therefore, the current AI technology is mainly used for image recognition and auxiliary analysis without in-depth communication with patients. This article reviews the application of AI in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of CRC and provides the prospects for the broader application of AI in CRC.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Colorectal cancer; Diagnosis; Treatment; Prognosis

Core Tip: The current artificial intelligence (AI) technology is mainly used for image recognition and auxiliary analysis without in-depth communication with patients. We here review the application of AI in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and look at the prospects for the broader application of AI in CRC.