Cancer treatment: AI “Dave” is more precise than doctors – and also more sensitive

More precise and even more sensitive than human doctors? Feedback from American cancer patients on a new AI robotic oncologist named “Dave” is positive. Its hit rates for diagnoses and treatment options appear to rival those of human medicine. The empathetic tone of the chatbot is also praised. And unlike real doctors, Dave is available 24/7.

Over 10,000 cancer patients took part in studies with Dave before the New York tech company Belong brought the AI ​​model to the US market a few weeks ago. The chatbot should not replace human physicians, co-founder Irad Deutsch emphasized to “Fox News Digital”, because nothing beats the competence of experienced doctors. Therefore, Dave’s messages also contain corresponding clauses: Despite his “human language” it is about artificial intelligence and not people.

AI should support patients and relatives

Rather, the first talking AI oncology mentor wants to support cancer patients and their families and answer their questions between doctor appointments. “Dave helps patients to better assess their situation and offers valuable information that they can then use at their next doctor’s appointment,” says Deutsch. Mostly it is about treatment options after a diagnosis and their side effects. A careful, empathetic style of communication is crucial: “For cancer patients who are in an extremely tense phase, an empathetic tone is essential.”

Among Dave’s first test subjects was a wife whose husband had advanced cancer, reports Deutsch. “She last contacted Dave a week ago and thanked him. Her husband had died. Even though she knew Dave was artificial intelligence, she wanted to tell him how much she appreciated his support during these difficult times.”

Deutsch knows the effects of cancer from his own family: “We understand what an enormous stress it is, even at two o’clock in the morning – and then there is nobody to answer questions.”

Reducing the stress of patients and relatives by being there for them around the clock, reacting and answering at any time – this was the main goal in Dave’s development, he says and also explains the name of the AI ​​mentor: Dave was named after named after the biblical king David, who triumphed over Goliath through wisdom. “We want to help patients in their fight against Goliath (cancer) and believe Dave can give them the information they need to make smart, well-informed decisions.”

For over seven years, Dave was “trained” using billions of data points from doctor and cancer patient exchanges. The data came from the Beating Cancer Together app, a cancer network launched by Belong. In addition, Dave regularly obtains the latest medical information from reputable internet sources on the latest cancer treatment guidelines.

Mark Werner contracted leukemia in 2018. The Atlanta contractor has been on the Beating Cancer Together app since 2021 to connect with other patients. After five years of battling cancer, he described his knowledge of the disease on Fox News Digital as “actually quite well-founded” – but Dave can often help him: “His answers are always to the point. Dave’s real strength is his knowledge of the very latest in oncology.”

Like humans, Dave can make mistakes—particularly when patients don’t give him enough information. Analysis of Dave’s answers by real doctors showed that 91 percent of the answers he gave were highly accurate, while 9 percent were only partly or not at all correct.

Detect cancerous polyps faster with AI

According to new studies, artificial intelligence can increasingly outperform human physicians in other areas of cancer prevention. For example, AI improved the detection of cancerous polyps in colonoscopies by 14 percent. And unlike traditional techniques, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin, AI can distinguish between benign and malignant lesions in brain tumors – eliminating the need for up to 40 percent of the brain surgeries and biopsies that patients fear.

Scientists are also reporting groundbreaking AI achievements in breast cancer treatment: Artificial intelligence can detect breast cancer at least as precisely as human radiologists and can also predict which patients will develop aggressive forms of cancer. According to Boston physicians, early-stage lung cancer is also better detected by AI than by human radiologists. Basically, the following applies to cancer prevention: the earlier the disease is discovered, the greater the chances of recovery.