Scientists deploy tech in cancer radiation therapy

Chinese scientists have applied artificial intelligence to help doctors more precisely separate tumors from surrounding healthy tissue — a process they liken to removing pits from fruits — improving the accuracy of radiotherapy while limiting damage to vital organs.

During a recent session at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in Guangzhou, doctors demonstrated the approach on a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, a type of cancer that starts in the nasopharynx — the upper part of the throat behind the nose.

After the patient was scanned using an integrated CT imaging and treatment machine, detailed images of the tumor appeared on a computer screen. Using what researchers call "digital dissection", the AI system quickly outlined the area that needed radiation treatment.