Richard Parks Researchers from the US, UK, and Switzerland have developed a new AI tool that helps doctors identify prostate cancer patients who will gain the most from abiraterone treatment. Abiraterone is known to reduce the risk of death by up to half in some prostate cancer cases. The team will present their findings at a major global cancer conference in Chicago later this year.
Professor Nick James, co-leader of the study and consultant at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, explained that abiraterone significantly improves outcomes for men with advanced prostate cancer. “It also shows powerful effects in men with non-spread cancer,” he said. However, he cautioned that the drug has side effects, including risks to blood pressure, liver function, diabetes, and heart health, which require careful monitoring.
The AI technology analyzes tumor images to detect subtle patterns invisible to the human eye. It classifies patients as biomarker-positive or biomarker-negative. Testing on 1,000 men with high-risk, localized prostate cancer showed that 25% of patients are strong candidates for abiraterone. For these men, the drug reduced the five-year risk of death from 17% to 9%. For the other 75%, abiraterone offered minimal benefit, meaning they could rely on standard hormone therapy and radiotherapy alone.
Professor Gert Attard emphasized the breakthrough, saying, “Standard pathology slides contain much more information than we realized. AI helps match the right treatments to the right patients.” This approach not only improves patient outcomes but also avoids unnecessary side effects and costs for those unlikely to benefit.
Experts are now urging health systems to widen access to abiraterone for early-stage, high-risk prostate cancer patients identified by the test. Professor James noted that NHS England currently covers abiraterone only for advanced cases, while Scotland and Wales already offer it to men with localized high-risk cancer. “Abiraterone costs just £77 per pack,” James pointed out, “which is much cheaper than many new cancer drugs.”
Dr. Matthew Hobbs from Prostate Cancer UK called the AI tool “exciting” and emphasized the need for immediate patient access based on its results. The NHS confirmed it is reviewing policies to expand coverage, while maintaining current support for advanced cases.