Ensemble-based multi-tissue classification approach of colorectal cancer histology images using a novel hybrid deep learning framework

Advanced deep learning for multi-class colorectal cancer histopathology: integrating transfer learning and ensemble methods

Background

Cancer is a major global health threat, constantly endangering people's well-being and lives. The application of deep learning in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer can improve early detection rates, thereby significantly reducing the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer patients. Our study aims to optimize the performance of deep learning model in the classification of colorectal cancer histopathological images to assist pathologists in improving diagnostic accuracy.

Methods

In this study, we developed ensemble models based on deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for the classification of colorectal cancer histopathology images. The method first involved data preprocessing techniques such as patch cropping, stain normalization, data augmentation and data balancing on histopathology images with different magnifications. Subsequently, the CNN models were fine-tuned and pre-trained using transfer learning methods, and models with superior performance were then selected as the base classifiers to build the ensemble models. Finally, the ensemble models were used to predict the final classification outcomes. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed models, we tested their performance on a publicly available colorectal cancer dataset, Enteroscope Biopsy Histopathological Hematoxylin and Eosin Image (EBHI) dataset.

Results

Experimental results show that the proposed ensemble model, composed of the top five classifiers, achieved the promising classification accuracy across sub-databases with four different magnification factors. Specifically, on the 40× magnification subset, the highest classification accuracy reached 99.11%; on the 100× magnification subset, it reached 99.36%; on the 200× magnification subset, it was 99.29%; and on the 400× magnification subset, it was 98.96%. Additionally, the proposed ensemble model achieved exceptional results in recall, precision, and F1 score.

Conclusions

The proposed ensemble models obtained good classification performance on the EBHI dataset of histopathological images for colorectal cancer. The findings of this study may contribute to the early detection and accurate classification of colorectal cancer, thereby aiding in more precise diagnostic analysis of colorectal cancer.

Leveraging Radiomics and Hybrid Quantum-Classical Convolutional Networks for Non-Invasive Detection of Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer

PURPOSE

The goal of this study is to create a novel framework for identifying MSI status in colorectal cancer using advanced radiomics and deep learning strategies, aiming to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes in oncology.

PROCEDURES

The study utilizes histopathological slide images from the NCT-CRC-HE-100 K and PAIP 2020 databases. Key procedures include self-attentive adversarial stain normalization for data standardization, tumor delineation via a Slimmable Transformer, and radiomics feature extraction using a hybrid quantum-classical neural network.

RESULTS

The proposed system reaches 99% accuracy when identifying colorectal cancer MSI status. It shows the model is good at telling the difference between MSI and MSS tumors and can be used in real medical care for cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our research shows that the new system improves colorectal cancer MSI status determination better than previous methods. Our optimized processing technology works better than other methods to divide and analyze tissue features making the system good for improving patient care decisions.

Colorectal cancer detection with enhanced precision using a hybrid supervised and unsupervised learning approach

The current work introduces the hybrid ensemble framework for the detection and segmentation of colorectal cancer. This framework will incorporate both supervised classification and unsupervised clustering methods to present more understandable and accurate diagnostic results. The method entails several steps with CNN models: ADa-22 and AD-22, transformer networks, and an SVM classifier, all inbuilt. The CVC ClinicDB dataset supports this process, containing 1650 colonoscopy images classified as polyps or non-polyps. The best performance in the ensembles was done by the AD-22 + Transformer + SVM model, with an AUC of 0.99, a training accuracy of 99.50%, and a testing accuracy of 99.00%. This group also saw a high accuracy of 97.50% for Polyps and 99.30% for Non-Polyps, together with a recall of 97.80% for Polyps and 98.90% for Non-Polyps, hence performing very well in identifying both cancerous and healthy regions. The framework proposed here uses K-means clustering in combination with the visualisation of bounding boxes, thereby improving segmentation and yielding a silhouette score of 0.73 with the best cluster configuration. It discusses how to combine feature interpretation challenges into medical imaging for accurate localization and precise segmentation of malignant regions. A good balance between performance and generalization shall be done by hyperparameter optimization-heavy learning rates; dropout rates and overfitting shall be suppressed effectively. The hybrid schema of this work treats the deficiencies of the previous approaches, such as incorporating CNN-based effective feature extraction, Transformer networks for developing attention mechanisms, and finally the fine decision boundary of the support vector machine. Further, we refine this process via unsupervised clustering for the purpose of enhancing the visualisation of such a procedure. Such a holistic framework, hence, further boosts classification and segmentation results by generating understandable outcomes for more rigorous benchmarking of detecting colorectal cancer and with higher reality towards clinical application feasibility.

Accurate colorectal cancer detection using a random hinge exponential distribution coupled attention network on pathological images

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and deadly forms of cancer worldwide, necessitating accurate and early detection to improve treatment outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods often rely on manual examination of pathological images, which can be time-consuming and prone to human error. This study presents an advanced approach for colorectal cancer detection using a Random Hinge Exponential Distribution coupled Attention Network (RHED-CANet) on pathological images. The input dataset is sourced from the TCGA-CRC-DX cohort and the CRC dataset, both widely recognized for their comprehensive coverage of colorectal cancer cases. Pre-processing and feature extraction are performed using a Modified Square Root Sage-Husa Adaptive Kalman Filter combined with a Spike-Driven Transformer, enhancing noise reduction and feature clarity. Segmentation is achieved through an EfficientNetV2L Inception Transformer, ensuring precise delineation of cancerous regions. The final classification utilizes the RHED-CANet, a network tailored to handle the complexities of pathological data with high accuracy. This methodology achieved remarkable results, with an accuracy of 99.9% and a precision of 99.7%. These performance metrics underscore the method's ability to minimize false positives and enhance diagnostic accuracy. The proposed approach offers significant advantages, including a reduction in diagnostic time and a substantial improvement in detection accuracy, making it a promising tool for clinical applications. Despite its excellent accuracy, the suggested RHED-CANet technique has drawbacks, such as overfitting the TCGA-CRC-DX and CRC datasets by reducing generalizability on other datasets comprising other cancer types or image qualities. The actual application of the techniques in real-time clinical applications may be hampered by this computational load, especially in settings with limited resources, and the model's potential computational complexity due to multiple advanced processing steps. Additionally, the efficiency of training may be impacted by biased inputs, particularly for minor CRC subtypes.

A depth analysis of recent innovations in non-invasive techniques using artificial intelligence approach for cancer prediction

The fight against cancer, a relentless global health crisis, emphasizes the urgency for efficient and automated early detection methods. To address this critical need, this review assesses recent advances in non-invasive cancer prediction techniques, comparing conventional machine learning (CML) and deep neural networks (DNNs). Focusing on these seven major cancers, we analyze 310 publications spanning the years 2018 to 2024, focusing on detection accuracy as the key metric to identify the most effective predictive models, highlighting critical gaps in current methodologies, and suggesting directions for future research. We further delved into factors like datasets, features, and modalities to gain a comprehensive understanding of each approach's performance. Separate review tables for each cancer type and approach facilitated comparisons between top performers (accuracy exceeding 99%) and low performers (65.83 to 85.8%). Our exploration of public databases and commonly used classifiers revealed that optimal combinations of features, datasets, and models can achieve up to 100% accuracy for both CML and DNN. However, significant variations in accuracy (up to 35%) were observed, particularly when optimization was lacking. Notably, colorectal cancer exhibited the lowest accuracy (DNN 69%, CML 65.83%). A five-point comparative analysis (best/worst models, performance gap, average accuracy, and research trends) revealed that while DNN research is gaining momentum, CML approaches remain competitive, even outperforming DNN in some cases. This study presents an in-depth comparative analysis of CML and DNN techniques for cancer detection. This knowledge can inform future research directions and contribute to the development of increasingly accurate and reliable cancer detection tools.

An efficient colorectal cancer detection network using atrous convolution with coordinate attention transformer and histopathological images

The second most common type of malignant tumor worldwide is colorectal cancer. Histopathology image analysis offers crucial data for the clinical diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Currently, deep learning techniques are applied to enhance cancer classification and tumor localization in histopathological image analysis. Moreover, traditional deep learning techniques might loss integrated information in the image while evaluating thousands of patches recovered from whole slide images (WSIs). This research proposes a novel colorectal cancer detection network (CCDNet) that combines coordinate attention transformer with atrous convolution. CCDNet first denoises the input histopathological image using a Wiener based Midpoint weighted non-local means filter (WMW-NLM) for guaranteeing precise diagnoses and maintain image features. Also, a novel atrous convolution with coordinate attention transformer (AConvCAT) is introduced, which successfully combines the advantages of two networks to classify colorectal tissue at various scales by capturing local and global information. Further, coordinate attention model is integrated with a Cross-shaped window (CrSWin) transformer for capturing tiny changes in colorectal tissue from multiple angles. The proposed CCDNet achieved accuracy rates of 98.61% and 98.96%, on the colorectal histological image and NCT-CRC-HE-100 K datasets correspondingly. The comparison analysis demonstrates that the suggested framework performed better than the most advanced methods already in use. In hospitals, clinicians can use the proposed CCDNet to verify the diagnosis.

Color-CADx: a deep learning approach for colorectal cancer classification through triple convolutional neural networks and discrete cosine transform

Colorectal cancer (CRC) exhibits a significant death rate that consistently impacts human lives worldwide. Histopathological examination is the standard method for CRC diagnosis. However, it is complicated, time-consuming, and subjective. Computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) systems using digital pathology can help pathologists diagnose CRC faster and more accurately than manual histopathology examinations. Deep learning algorithms especially convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are advocated for diagnosis of CRC. Nevertheless, most previous CAD systems obtained features from one CNN, these features are of huge dimension. Also, they relied on spatial information only to achieve classification. In this paper, a CAD system is proposed called "Color-CADx" for CRC recognition. Different CNNs namely ResNet50, DenseNet201, and AlexNet are used for end-to-end classification at different training-testing ratios. Moreover, features are extracted from these CNNs and reduced using discrete cosine transform (DCT). DCT is also utilized to acquire spectral representation. Afterward, it is used to further select a reduced set of deep features. Furthermore, DCT coefficients obtained in the previous step are concatenated and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) feature selection approach is applied to choose significant features. Finally, machine learning classifiers are employed for CRC classification. Two publicly available datasets were investigated which are the NCT-CRC-HE-100 K dataset and the Kather_texture_2016_image_tiles dataset. The highest achieved accuracy reached 99.3% for the NCT-CRC-HE-100 K dataset and 96.8% for the Kather_texture_2016_image_tiles dataset. DCT and ANOVA have successfully lowered feature dimensionality thus reducing complexity. Color-CADx has demonstrated efficacy in terms of accuracy, as its performance surpasses that of the most recent advancements.

Analysis of Colorectal and Gastric Cancer Classification: A Mathematical Insight Utilizing Traditional Machine Learning Classifiers

Cancer remains a formidable global health challenge, claiming millions of lives annually. Timely and accurate cancer diagnosis is imperative. While numerous reviews have explored cancer classification using machine learning and deep learning techniques, scant literature focuses on traditional ML methods. In this manuscript, we undertake a comprehensive review of colorectal and gastric cancer detection specifically employing traditional ML classifiers. This review emphasizes the mathematical underpinnings of cancer detection, encompassing preprocessing techniques, feature extraction, machine learning classifiers, and performance assessment metrics. We provide mathematical formulations for these key components. Our analysis is limited to peer-reviewed articles published between 2017 and 2023, exclusively considering medical imaging datasets. Benchmark and publicly available imaging datasets for colorectal and gastric cancers are presented. This review synthesizes findings from 20 articles on colorectal cancer and 16 on gastric cancer, culminating in a total of 36 research articles. A significant focus is placed on mathematical formulations for commonly used preprocessing techniques, features, ML classifiers, and assessment metrics. Crucially, we introduce our optimized methodology for the detection of both colorectal and gastric cancers. Our performance metrics analysis reveals remarkable results: 100% accuracy in both cancer types, but with the lowest sensitivity recorded at 43.1% for gastric cancer.

Novel research and future prospects of artificial intelligence in cancer diagnosis and treatment

Research into the potential benefits of artificial intelligence for comprehending the intricate biology of cancer has grown as a result of the widespread use of deep learning and machine learning in the healthcare sector and the availability of highly specialized cancer datasets. Here, we review new artificial intelligence approaches and how they are being used in oncology. We describe how artificial intelligence might be used in the detection, prognosis, and administration of cancer treatments and introduce the use of the latest large language models such as ChatGPT in oncology clinics. We highlight artificial intelligence applications for omics data types, and we offer perspectives on how the various data types might be combined to create decision-support tools. We also evaluate the present constraints and challenges to applying artificial intelligence in precision oncology. Finally, we discuss how current challenges may be surmounted to make artificial intelligence useful in clinical settings in the future.

An improved multi-scale gradient generative adversarial network for enhancing classification of colorectal cancer histological images

Introduction

Deep learning-based solutions for histological image classification have gained attention in recent years due to their potential for objective evaluation of histological images. However, these methods often require a large number of expert annotations, which are both time-consuming and labor-intensive to obtain. Several scholars have proposed generative models to augment labeled data, but these often result in label uncertainty due to incomplete learning of the data distribution.

Methods

To alleviate these issues, a method called InceptionV3-SMSG-GAN has been proposed to enhance classification performance by generating high-quality images. Specifically, images synthesized by Multi-Scale Gradients Generative Adversarial Network (MSG-GAN) are selectively added to the training set through a selection mechanism utilizing a trained model to choose generated images with higher class probabilities. The selection mechanism filters the synthetic images that contain ambiguous category information, thus alleviating label uncertainty.

Results

Experimental results show that compared with the baseline method which uses InceptionV3, the proposed method can significantly improve the performance of pathological image classification from 86.87% to 89.54% for overall accuracy. Additionally, the quality of generated images is evaluated quantitatively using various commonly used evaluation metrics.

Discussion

The proposed InceptionV3-SMSG-GAN method exhibited good classification ability, where histological image could be divided into nine categories. Future work could focus on further refining the image generation and selection processes to optimize classification performance.