Identification and Validation of Efficacy of Immunological Therapy for Lung Cancer From Histopathological Images Based on Deep Learning

Artificial Intelligence and Lung Pathology

This manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in lung pathology, particularly in the diagnosis of lung cancer. It discusses various AI models designed to support pathologists and clinicians. AI models supporting pathologists are to standardize diagnosis, score PD-L1 status, supporting tumor cellularity count, and indicating explainability for pathologic judgements. Several models predict outcomes beyond pathologic diagnosis and predict clinical outcomes like patients' survival and molecular alterations. The manuscript emphasizes the potential of AI to enhance accuracy and efficiency in pathology, while also addressing the challenges and future directions for integrating AI into clinical practice.

The future of artificial intelligence in thoracic surgery for non-small cell lung cancer treatment a narrative review

Objectives

To present a comprehensive review of the current state of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in lung cancer management, spanning the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases.

Methods

A review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane, including relevant studies between 2002 and 2023 to identify the latest research on artificial intelligence and lung cancer.

Conclusion

While AI holds promise in managing lung cancer, challenges exist. In the preoperative phase, AI can improve diagnostics and predict biomarkers, particularly in cases with limited biopsy materials. During surgery, AI provides real-time guidance. Postoperatively, AI assists in pathology assessment and predictive modeling. Challenges include interpretability issues, training limitations affecting model use and AI's ineffectiveness beyond classification. Overfitting and global generalization, along with high computational costs and ethical frameworks, pose hurdles. Addressing these challenges requires a careful approach, considering ethical, technical, and regulatory factors. Rigorous analysis, external validation, and a robust regulatory framework are crucial for responsible AI implementation in lung surgery, reflecting the evolving synergy between human expertise and technology.

Deep Learning for Lung Cancer Diagnosis, Prognosis and Prediction Using Histological and Cytological Images: A Systematic Review

Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with a high incidence rate, especially in tobacco smokers. Lung cancer accurate diagnosis is based on distinct histological patterns combined with molecular data for personalized treatment. Precise lung cancer classification from a single H&E slide can be challenging for a pathologist, requiring most of the time additional histochemical and special immunohistochemical stains for the final pathology report. According to WHO, small biopsy and cytology specimens are the available materials for about 70% of lung cancer patients with advanced-stage unresectable disease. Thus, the limited available diagnostic material necessitates its optimal management and processing for the completion of diagnosis and predictive testing according to the published guidelines. During the new era of Digital Pathology, Deep Learning offers the potential for lung cancer interpretation to assist pathologists' routine practice. Herein, we systematically review the current Artificial Intelligence-based approaches using histological and cytological images of lung cancer. Most of the published literature centered on the distinction between lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and small cell lung carcinoma, reflecting the realistic pathologist's routine. Furthermore, several studies developed algorithms for lung adenocarcinoma predominant architectural pattern determination, prognosis prediction, mutational status characterization, and PD-L1 expression status estimation.

Deep learning-based prediction of molecular cancer biomarkers from tissue slides: A new tool for precision oncology

Molecular tests are necessary to stratify cancer patients for targeted therapy. However, high cost and technical barriers limit the application of these tests, hindering optimal treatment. Recently, deep learning (DL) has been applied to predict molecular test results from digitized images of tissue slides. Furthermore, treatment response and prognosis can be predicted from tissue slides using DL. In this review, we summarized DL-based studies regarding the prediction of genetic mutation, microsatellite instability, tumor mutational burden, molecular subtypes, gene expression, treatment response, and prognosis directly from hematoxylin- and eosin-stained tissue slides. Although performance needs to be improved, these studies clearly demonstrated the feasibility of DL-based prediction of key molecular features in cancer tissues. With the accumulation of data and technical advances, the performance of the DL system could be improved in the near future. Therefore, we expect that DL could provide cost- and time-effective alternative tools for patient stratification in the era of precision oncology.

A Survey on Deep Learning for Precision Oncology

Precision oncology, which ensures optimized cancer treatment tailored to the unique biology of a patient’s disease, has rapidly developed and is of great clinical importance. Deep learning has become the main method for precision oncology. This paper summarizes the recent deep-learning approaches relevant to precision oncology and reviews over 150 articles within the last six years. First, we survey the deep-learning approaches categorized by various precision oncology tasks, including the estimation of dose distribution for treatment planning, survival analysis and risk estimation after treatment, prediction of treatment response, and patient selection for treatment planning. Secondly, we provide an overview of the studies per anatomical area, including the brain, bladder, breast, bone, cervix, esophagus, gastric, head and neck, kidneys, liver, lung, pancreas, pelvis, prostate, and rectum. Finally, we highlight the challenges and discuss potential solutions for future research directions.

Multi-Omics Approaches for the Prediction of Clinical Endpoints after Immunotherapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the management of locally advanced and advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). With an improvement in the overall survival (OS) as both first- and second-line treatments, ICIs, and especially programmed-death 1 (PD-1) and programmed-death ligands 1 (PD-L1), changed the landscape of thoracic oncology. The PD-L1 level of expression is commonly accepted as the most used biomarker, with both prognostic and predictive values. However, even in a low expression level of PD-L1, response rates remain significant while a significant number of patients will experience hyperprogression or adverse events. The dentification of such subtypes is thus of paramount importance. While several studies focused mainly on the prediction of the PD-L1 expression status, others aimed directly at the development of prediction/prognostic models. The response to ICIs depends on a complex physiopathological cascade, intricating multiple mechanisms from the molecular to the macroscopic level. With the high-throughput extraction of features, omics approaches aim for the most comprehensive assessment of each patient. In this article, we will review the place of the different biomarkers (clinical, biological, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and radiomics), their clinical implementation and discuss the most recent trends projecting on the future steps in prediction modeling in NSCLC patients treated with ICI.

Deep Learning of Histopathological Features for the Prediction of Tumour Molecular Genetics

Advanced diagnostics are enabling cancer treatments to become increasingly tailored to the individual through developments in immunotherapies and targeted therapies. However, long turnaround times and high costs of molecular testing hinder the widespread implementation of targeted cancer treatments. Meanwhile, gold-standard histopathological assessment carried out by a trained pathologist is widely regarded as routine and mandatory in most cancers. Recently, methods have been developed to mine hidden information from histopathological slides using deep learning applied to scanned and digitized slides; deep learning comprises a collection of computational methods which learn patterns in data in order to make predictions. Such methods have been reported to be successful in a variety of cancers for predicting the presence of biomarkers such as driver mutations, tumour mutational burden, and microsatellite instability. This information could prove valuable to pathologists and oncologists in clinical decision making for cancer treatment and triage for in-depth sequencing. In addition to identifying molecular features, deep learning has been applied to predict prognosis and treatment response in certain cancers. Despite reported successes, many challenges remain before the clinical implementation of such diagnostic strategies in the clinical setting is possible. This review aims to outline recent developments in the field of deep learning for predicting molecular genetics from histopathological slides, as well as to highlight limitations and pitfalls of working with histopathology slides in deep learning.