DAYTON, Ohio — Veterans in Ohio now have access to a new screening for colon cancer that’s using artificial intelligence. The VA Medical Center in Dayton is the first in Ohio to offer this treatment to vets, said Dr. Sangeeta Agrawal, a gastroenterologist who runs the program.
What You Need To Know
- The Dayton VA Medical Center is now using artificial intelligence to enhance colonoscopies for veterans
- The Dayton VA has three AI machines called a “GI Genius”
- The Dayton Va is the only veterans’ hospital in Ohio to offer the new screening.
- The GI Genius can find potentially cancerous polyps in the large intestine that aren’t visible to the human eye.
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“It’s a second set of eyes- smarter eyes,” Agrawal said.
She started lobbying for the machine, called the GI-Genius, as soon as it received government approval.
“I had put in a request as soon as this was FDA approved because I’m very interested in AI,” Agrawal said. “Incorporating the latest technology to take care of our veterans because they deserve whatever we can offer to them.”
Veteran Vincent Epps was happy to be one of the first to receive the new colonoscopy. The 60-year-old has been getting checked every five years since he was 50 because his family history includes colon cancer.
“It takes you out in a minute,” Epps said. “So screenings are very important.”
The new A-I screening helps to find polyps in the large intestine during their earliest stages. They register as green on the monitor.
“Small polyps that may escape human eye so that is a 14-15% missed rate,” Agrawal said. “This is enhancing the detection so it’s making the screening procedure more efficient.”
If the patient is awake during the procedure, they can track the scan on the monitor along with the doctor.
“They can look at it and say, ‘Oh wow, there’s the green box, there’s a polyp,’” said Agrawal. “They are participating in their own colonoscopy and they find it very fascinating.”
Agrawal says it’s important to keep up with the technology because colo-rectal cancer is a big program nationwide. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 100-thousand Americans were diagnosed with Colon Cancer this year. Agrawal said the recommended age to start screening recently dropped to 45.
“So don’t delay. Please get checked,” Agrawal said.
