Artificial Intelligence in Pathology. 2021

Sebastian Försch, and Frederick Klauschen, and Peter Hufnagl, and Wilfried Roth
Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Mainz, Mainz; Institute of Pathology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin.

Increasing digitalization enables the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in pathology. However, these technologies have only just begun to be implemented, and no randomized prospective trials have yet shown a benefit of AI-based diagnosis. In this review, we present current concepts, illustrate them with examples from representative publications, and discuss the possibilities and limitations of their use. This article is based on the results of a search in PubMed for articles published between January 1950 and January 2020 containing the searching terms "artificial intelligence," "deep learning," and "digital pathology," as well as the authors' own research findings. Current research on AI in pathology focuses on supporting routine diagnosis and on prognostication, particularly for patients with cancer. Initial data indicate that pathologists can arrive at a diagnosis faster and more accurately with the aid of a computer. In a pilot study on the diagnosis of breast cancer, involving 70 patients, sensitivity for the detection of micrometastases rose from 83.3% (by a pathologist alone) to 91.2% (by a pathologist combined with a computer algorithm). The evidence likewise suggests that AI applied to histomorphological properties of cells during microscopy may enable the inference of certain genetic properties, such as mutations in key genes and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation profiles. Initial proof-of-concept studies for AI in pathology are now available. Randomized, prospective studies are now needed so that these early findings can be confirmed or falsified.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010865 Pilot Projects Small-scale tests of methods and procedures to be used on a larger scale if the pilot study demonstrates that these methods and procedures can work. Pilot Studies,Pilot Study,Pilot Project,Project, Pilot,Projects, Pilot,Studies, Pilot,Study, Pilot
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000069550 Machine Learning A type of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE that enable COMPUTERS to independently initiate and execute LEARNING when exposed to new data. Transfer Learning,Learning, Machine,Learning, Transfer
D000465 Algorithms A procedure consisting of a sequence of algebraic formulas and/or logical steps to calculate or determine a given task. Algorithm
D001185 Artificial Intelligence Theory and development of COMPUTER SYSTEMS which perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. Such tasks may include speech recognition, LEARNING; VISUAL PERCEPTION; MATHEMATICAL COMPUTING; reasoning, PROBLEM SOLVING, DECISION-MAKING, and translation of language. AI (Artificial Intelligence),Computer Reasoning,Computer Vision Systems,Knowledge Acquisition (Computer),Knowledge Representation (Computer),Machine Intelligence,Computational Intelligence,Acquisition, Knowledge (Computer),Computer Vision System,Intelligence, Artificial,Intelligence, Computational,Intelligence, Machine,Knowledge Representations (Computer),Reasoning, Computer,Representation, Knowledge (Computer),System, Computer Vision,Systems, Computer Vision,Vision System, Computer,Vision Systems, Computer

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