Lung Cancer Risk Assessment and AI Integration – Use Case Workshop in Portugal

On April 30th, INESC TEC organized a workshop in Portugal as part of the ongoing efforts in the Phase4AI project, focusing on lung cancer risk assessment and AI integration in clinical practice. This event was attended by a diverse group of participants, including researchers, clinicians, and industry experts, and served as a platform to discuss the utilization of AI and data management technologies in healthcare.

Workshop Objetives:

  1. Lung Cancer Risk Assessment: The primary focus of the workshop was on the risk assessment of lung cancer, particularly using AI algorithms to enhance early diagnosis and personalized risk assessments. Discussions highlighted the importance of incorporating various data sources, such as imaging and clinical history, into AI models to improve predictive accuracy and early detection.
  2. Data Management and Privacy: A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to addressing data privacy and compliance with GDPR, especially when dealing with sensitive health data. Strategies such as data anonymization, pseudonymization, and the use of synthetic data were explored to ensure patient confidentiality while enabling effective data sharing and AI model training.
  3. AI Development and Implementation: Participants discussed the development of AI algorithms designed to detect lung cancer risk factors automatically from imaging data, such as CT scans. The potential of AI to act as a second reader in radiology and to provide consistent and objective assessments was emphasized, aiming to reduce human error and enhance clinical workflows.
  4. Integration into Clinical Practice: The workshop also focused on the integration of these AI tools into existing clinical information systems, aiming to streamline the workflow for healthcare providers and ensure that these technologies are accessible and usable in routine clinical settings, from general practice to specialized radiology departments.
  5. Ethical and Practical Considerations: The event underscored the need to balance the utility of AI technologies with ethical considerations, particularly regarding patient consent and the explainability of AI decisions. Participants called for robust frameworks that facilitate informed consent and patient education about the risks and benefits of lung cancer screening and AI-driven assessments.

Outcomes:

The workshop successfully brought together multidisciplinary insights and fostered a collaborative environment to refine approaches to lung cancer risk assessment. It underscored the potential of AI in transforming clinical practices and highlighted the critical need for ongoing discussions on data privacy, technological integration, and ethical standards in AI applications.