Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Mar 25;14(4):341.
doi: 10.3390/jpm14040341.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Head and Neck Cancers: A Multidisciplinary Survey

Affiliations

The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Head and Neck Cancers: A Multidisciplinary Survey

Caterina Giannitto et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) approaches have been introduced in various disciplines but remain rather unused in head and neck (H&N) cancers. This survey aimed to infer the current applications of and attitudes toward AI in the multidisciplinary care of H&N cancers. From November 2020 to June 2022, a web-based questionnaire examining the relationship between AI usage and professionals' demographics and attitudes was delivered to different professionals involved in H&N cancers through social media and mailing lists. A total of 139 professionals completed the questionnaire. Only 49.7% of the respondents reported having experience with AI. The most frequent AI users were radiologists (66.2%). Significant predictors of AI use were primary specialty (V = 0.455; p < 0.001), academic qualification and age. AI's potential was seen in the improvement of diagnostic accuracy (72%), surgical planning (64.7%), treatment selection (57.6%), risk assessment (50.4%) and the prediction of complications (45.3%). Among participants, 42.7% had significant concerns over AI use, with the most frequent being the 'loss of control' (27.6%) and 'diagnostic errors' (57.0%). This survey reveals limited engagement with AI in multidisciplinary H&N cancer care, highlighting the need for broader implementation and further studies to explore its acceptance and benefits.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; diagnostic accuracy; head and neck cancers; multidisciplinary care; survey.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of medical specialties within population sample.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographic distribution of survey respondents.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of specialties within AI users.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of artificial intelligence use (a) within each specialty, (b) within different working environments and (c) within age groups.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Perceived value of AI (a) in medical specialties, (b) in potential subspecialty areas, (c) in current common uses and (d) in predicted future beneficial applications.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Attitudes of participants towards artificial intelligence and categories of risks associated with artificial intelligence.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Kawakita D., Oze I., Iwasaki S., Matsuda T., Matsuo K., Ito H. Trends in the incidence of head and neck cancer by subsite between 1993 and 2015 in Japan. Cancer Med. 2022;11:1553–1560. doi: 10.1002/cam4.4539. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mody M.D., Rocco J.W., Yom S.S., Haddad R.I., Saba N.F. Head and neck cancer. Lancet. 2021;398:2289–2299. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01550-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Siegel R.L., Miller K.D., Fuchs H.E., Jemal A. Cancer statistics, 2022. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2022;72:7–33. doi: 10.3322/caac.21708. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Gormley M., Creaney G., Schache A., Ingarfield K., Conway D.I. Reviewing the epidemiology of head and neck cancer: Definitions, trends and risk factors. Br. Dent. J. 2022;233:780–786. doi: 10.1038/s41415-022-5166-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cramer J.D., Burtness B., Le Q.T., Ferris R.L. The changing therapeutic landscape of head and neck cancer. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 2019;16:669–683. doi: 10.1038/s41571-019-0227-z. - DOI - PubMed

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.

LinkOut - more resources