Interpretable and Reliable Oral Cancer Classifier with Attention Mechanism and Expert Knowledge Embedding via Attention Map

Integrating artificial intelligence with smartphone-based imaging for cancer detection in vivo

Cancer is a major global health challenge, accounting for nearly one in six deaths worldwide. Early diagnosis significantly improves survival rates and patient outcomes, yet in resource-limited settings, the scarcity of medical resources often leads to late-stage diagnosis. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with smartphone-based imaging systems offers a promising solution by providing portable, cost-effective, and widely accessible tools for early cancer detection. This paper introduces advanced smartphone-based imaging systems that utilize various imaging modalities for in vivo detection of different cancer types and highlights the advancements of AI for in vivo cancer detection in smartphone-based imaging. However, these compact smartphone systems face challenges like low imaging quality and restricted computing power. The use of advanced AI algorithms to address the optical and computational limitations of smartphone-based imaging systems provides promising solutions. AI-based cancer detection also faces challenges. Transparency and reliability are critical factors in gaining the trust and acceptance of AI algorithms for clinical application, explainable and uncertainty-aware AI breaks the black box and will shape the future AI development in early cancer detection. The challenges and solutions for improving AI accuracy, transparency, and reliability are general issues in AI applications, the AI technologies, limitations, and potentials discussed in this paper are applicable to a wide range of biomedical imaging diagnostics beyond smartphones or cancer-specific applications. Smartphone-based multimodal imaging systems and deep learning algorithms for multimodal data analysis are also growing trends, as this approach can provide comprehensive information about the tissue being examined. Future opportunities and perspectives of AI-integrated smartphone imaging systems will be to make cutting-edge diagnostic tools more affordable and accessible, ultimately enabling early cancer detection for a broader population.

Deep learning for early diagnosis of oral cancer via smartphone and DSLR image analysis: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Diagnosing oral cancer is crucial in healthcare, with technological advancements enhancing early detection and outcomes. This review examines the impact of handheld AI-based tools, focusing on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and their advanced architectures in oral cancer diagnosis.

METHODS

A comprehensive search across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science identified papers on deep learning (DL) in oral cancer diagnosis using digital images. The review, registered with PROSPERO, employed PRISMA and QUADAS-2 for search and risk assessment, with data analyzed through bubble and bar charts.

RESULTS

Twenty-five papers were reviewed, highlighting classification, segmentation, and object detection as key areas. Despite challenges like limited annotated datasets and data imbalance, models such as DenseNet121, VGG19, and EfficientNet-B0 excelled in binary classification, while EfficientNet-B4, Inception-V4, and Faster R-CNN were effective for multiclass classification and object detection. Models achieved up to 100% precision, 99% specificity, and 97.5% accuracy, showcasing AI's potential to improve diagnostic accuracy. Combining datasets and leveraging transfer learning enhances detection, particularly in resource-limited settings.

CONCLUSION

Handheld AI tools are transforming oral cancer diagnosis, with ethical considerations guiding their integration into healthcare systems. DL offers explainability, builds trust in AI-driven diagnoses, and facilitates telemedicine integration.

Mapping the Use of Artificial Intelligence-Based Image Analysis for Clinical Decision-Making in Dentistry: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVES

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging field in dentistry. AI is gradually being integrated into dentistry to improve clinical dental practice. The aims of this scoping review were to investigate the application of AI in image analysis for decision-making in clinical dentistry and identify trends and research gaps in the current literature.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This review followed the guidelines provided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). An electronic literature search was performed through PubMed and Scopus. After removing duplicates, a preliminary screening based on titles and abstracts was performed. A full-text review and analysis were performed according to predefined inclusion criteria, and data were extracted from eligible articles.

RESULTS

Of the 1334 articles returned, 276 met the inclusion criteria (consisting of 601,122 images in total) and were included in the qualitative synthesis. Most of the included studies utilized convolutional neural networks (CNNs) on dental radiographs such as orthopantomograms (OPGs) and intraoral radiographs (bitewings and periapicals). AI was applied across all fields of dentistry - particularly oral medicine, oral surgery, and orthodontics - for direct clinical inference and segmentation. AI-based image analysis was use in several components of the clinical decision-making process, including diagnosis, detection or classification, prediction, and management.

CONCLUSIONS

A variety of machine learning and deep learning techniques are being used for dental image analysis to assist clinicians in making accurate diagnoses and choosing appropriate interventions in a timely manner.

Editorial: Recent Advances in Deep Learning and Medical Imaging for Cancer Treatment

In the evolving landscape of medical imaging, the escalating need for deep-learningmethods takes center stage, offering the capability to autonomously acquire abstract datarepresentations crucial for early detection and classification for cancer treatment. Thecomplexities in handling diverse inputs, high-dimensional features, and subtle patternswithin imaging data are acknowledged as significant challenges in this technologicalpursuit. This Special Issue, "Recent Advances in Deep Learning and Medical Imagingfor Cancer Treatment", has attracted 19 high-quality articles that cover state-of-the-artapplications and technical developments of deep learning, medical imaging, automaticdetection, and classification, explainable artificial intelligence-enabled diagnosis for cancertreatment. In the ever-evolving landscape of cancer treatment, five pivotal themes haveemerged as beacons of transformative change. This editorial delves into the realms ofinnovation that are shaping the future of cancer treatment, focusing on five interconnectedthemes: use of artificial intelligence in medical imaging, applications of AI in cancerdiagnosis and treatment, addressing challenges in medical image analysis, advancementsin cancer detection techniques, and innovations in skin cancer classification.