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Artif Intell Gastrointest Endosc. Feb 28, 2022; 3(1): 1-8
Published online Feb 28, 2022. doi: 10.37126/aige.v3.i1.1
Artificial intelligence in colorectal cancer screening in patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Kêmily Fuentes Marques, Alana Fuentes Marques, Marina Amorim Lopes, Rodrigo Fedatto Beraldo, Talles Bazeia Lima, Ligia Yukie Sassaki
Kêmily Fuentes Marques, Alana Fuentes Marques, Rodrigo Fedatto Beraldo, Curso de Medicina, Faculdades de Dracena, Fundação Dracenense de Educação e Cultura, Rua Bahia, 332, Dracena, SP, 17900-000, São Paulo, Brasil
Marina Amorim Lopes, Rodrigo Fedatto Beraldo, Talles Bazeia Lima, Ligia Yukie Sassaki, Department of Internal Medicine, São Paulo State University, Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
Author contributions: Marques KF, Marques AF, Lopes MA, Beraldo RF, and Lima TB performed the majority of the writing; Sassaki LY designed the outline and coordinated the writing of the paper; all the authors revising it critically for important intellectual content and approving the final version to be submitted.
Supported by Marina Amorim Lopes has received scholarship, No. #2021/00372-1; São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).
Conflict-of-interest statement: There are no conflicts of interest associated with any of the senior authors or other coauthors who contributed their efforts in this manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ligia Yukie Sassaki, MD, PhD, Department of Internal Medicine, São Paulo State University, Medical School, Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil. ligia.sassaki@unesp.br
Received: December 27, 2021
Peer-review started: December 27, 2021
First decision: January 26, 2022
Revised: February 14, 2022
Accepted: February 24, 2022
Article in press: February 24, 2022
Published online: February 28, 2022
Processing time: 59 Days and 14.4 Hours
Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science that develops intelligent machines. In recent years, medicine has been contemplated with this recent modality to aid in the diagnosis of diseases in several specialties, including gastroenterology and gastrointestinal endoscopy. This new technology has superior ability to perform tasks mimicking human behavior and can identify possible pathological alterations, such as pre-malignant lesions and dysplasia, precursor lesions of colorectal cancer (CRC), and support medical decision-making. CRC is among the three most prevalent cancer types, and the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide; in addition, it is a leading cause of death in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with IBD tend to have greater inflammatory cell activity in the intestinal mucosa, which can favor cell proliferation and CRC development. AI can contribute to the detection of pre-neoplastic lesions in patients at risk of CRC development, such as those with extensive IBD or when additional CRC risk factors, such as smoking, are present. In fact, AI systems could improve all aspects of care related to both the detection of pre-malignant and malignant lesions and the screening of patients with IBD. In this review, we aimed to show the benefits and innovations of AI in the screening of CRC in patients with IBD. The promising applications of AI have the potential to revolutionize clinical practice and gastrointestinal endoscopy, especially in at-risk patients, such as those with IBD.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Colorectal cancer; Ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s disease; Inflammatory bowel disease

Core Tip: Artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising technology in various areas of medicine. Recently, AI-assisted endoscopy has emerged with rapid dissemination and has favored the identification of complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as colorectal cancer (CRC). In this review, we discuss the benefits and innovations of AI for CRC screening in patients with IBD. The promising applications of AI have the potential to revolutionize clinical practice and gastrointestinal endoscopy.