Philips and Quibim have teamed up to develop AI-enhanced MR imaging and reporting solutions for prostate exams. This partnership aims to improve prostate cancer care efficiency and accuracy, providing an alternative to traditional PSA tests. Combining Philips’ AI-driven MR imaging with Quibim’s QP-Prostate software, the solution offers automated image analysis for better diagnostics and treatment planning. The collaboration seeks to extend to other cancers, addressing industry challenges like staff shortages and high healthcare costs.
Philips has joined forces with Quibim, a specialist in imaging biomarkers, to introduce innovative AI-driven imaging and reporting tools for MR prostate exams. This collaboration brings together Philips’ advanced AI-enabled MR imaging and Quibim’s AI-assisted image analysis software, aiming to streamline and enhance prostate cancer care. This is crucial given prostate cancer’s substantial global prevalence, with about one in eight men in the U.S. expected to face a prostate cancer diagnosis during their lives.
Traditionally, prostate cancer detection heavily depends on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening tests. While these tests can identify cancer early, particularly in non-aggressive cases, they often result in false positives and unnecessary, painful biopsies, causing anxiety and increasing pathology workloads. In contrast, MR exams, though more costly and lengthy than PSA tests, have shown the potential to reduce unnecessary biopsies and guide more accurate therapy decisions.
Utilizing AI technology, Philips already offers MR SmartSpeed image reconstruction software, enhancing clinical confidence with significantly higher resolution and image quality. The new partnership with Quibim integrates Quibim’s QP-Prostate AI software, automating prostate gland segmentation in MR images, yielding valuable quantitative data, and standardizing MR prostate exam reports. This integrated solution is designed to offer clinicians the speed and precision needed to manage increasing MR exam demands, aiding in confident diagnostics, tailored treatments, and improved patient outcomes.
Ruud Zwerink, General Manager of MR at Philips, highlights this partnership with Quibim as a reflection of Philips’ commitment to embedding AI into its Diagnostic Imaging suite. This initiative aims to enable earlier cancer detection, more accurate diagnoses, and streamlined hospital operations for better, more cost-effective care. The collaboration plans to extend beyond prostate cancer, addressing other cancer types and aiding in efficient, high-quality oncology care amidst growing patient numbers and staff shortages.
Angel Alberich-Bayarri, CEO of Quibim, emphasizes the partnership’s goal to bolster every step in the diagnosis, treatment, and therapy assessment workflow, with a forthcoming lesion detection algorithm poised to revolutionize prostate cancer screening. This comprehensive approach targets challenges like staff shortages, burnout, and financial constraints in radiology and oncology departments, promising less invasive biopsies and personalized treatment for patients.
Prof. Oliver Rouvière from the Hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, notes MRI’s pivotal role in diagnosing prostate cancer, stressing the need to enhance its specificity to minimize unnecessary biopsies and ensure consistent diagnoses across various settings and technologies. He points out that effective AI software for prostate MRI must balance high specificity and sensitivity, and operate reliably with different imaging protocols and equipment.
Philips MR solutions and Quibim’s QP-Prostate software will be showcased at the Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting (RSNA 2023, November 26-29, in Chicago, USA), at Philips booth (#6730) and Quibim Booth (#6336). Further details are available at Philips at RSNA 2023.
