New VA study to develop artificial intelligence that can predict aggressive prostate cancer

As part of a new research study that began July 1, five Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers are working together to develop an Artificial Intelligence algorithm that can predict if a case of prostate cancer might spread to other parts of the body.

Eventually expanding to 14 sites, the study will analyze data from more than 5,000 Veterans diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer who have undergone initial treatment.

The new method will use diagnostic images (like MRIs), high resolution scans of prostate biopsies, and social determinants of health – which are variables like income and geographic location — to detect patterns indicative of aggressive prostate cancer.  This data is all routinely obtained during the initial diagnosis and evaluation of a prostate cancer patient, so there will be no extra medical visits for the patient and minimal cost increase for the facility to use the AI.

“Only in the VA can a researcher combine extensive electronic medical records, high-performance computing, and precision oncology care to create an innovation like this AI program,” said Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Discovery, Dr. Carolyn Clancy. “No one else has incorporated socioeconomic conditions into a predictive model for high-risk prostate cancer, but we’ve seen multiple studies showing how they are a factor in Veterans’ health.”

Investigators in the Predicting Metastatic Progression of High Risk Localized Prostate Cancer study are leveraging existing resources — such as cloud storage, computing infrastructure, and databases — that are unique to VA’s enterprise-wide programs.  These programs include the Million Veteran Program and the Prostate Cancer Foundation-VA partnership, which was highlighted in the recent PACT Act and the 2023 OMNIBUS Appropriations ACT.

“A digital repository for data will allow for development, testing, and validation of prognostic classifiers that could positively impact clinical management of Veterans with high-risk prostate cancer,” said Dr. Matthew Rettig, chief of oncology and hematology at the Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center, and co-principal investigator for the study. “The infrastructure developed by this research will serve as a valuable hub for future discovery and … serve as a roadmap to develop similar AI algorithms for other cancers, such as lung cancer, and even non-cancerous diseases that commonly affect our Veterans.”

Prostate cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer among U.S. Veterans, making up 30% of new cancer diagnoses in the VA, and is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime.  For more information about the VA’s efforts in the battle against Prostate Cancer, please visit the ORD Website.