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Artif Intell Gastroenterol. Apr 28, 2022; 3(2): 36-45
Published online Apr 28, 2022. doi: 10.35712/aig.v3.i2.36
Colorectal cancer: Artificial intelligence and its role in surgical decision making
Nalini Kanta Ghosh, Ashok Kumar
Nalini Kanta Ghosh, Ashok Kumar, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, UP, India
Author contributions: Kumar A designed the concept, corrected, and finalized the manuscript; Ghosh NK wrote the manuscript and reviewed the literature; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest for this article.
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: Ashok Kumar, BSc, FASCRS, FRCS (Ire), FRCS (Ed), FRCS (Eng), MBBS, M. Ch, MS, Professor, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli Road, Lucknow 226014, UP, India. doc.ashokgupta@gmail.com
Received: December 30, 2021
Peer-review started: December 30, 2021
First decision: January 26, 2022
Revised: February 2, 2022
Accepted: April 26, 2022
Article in press: April 26, 2022
Published online: April 28, 2022
Processing time: 119 Days and 18.8 Hours
Abstract

Despite several advances in the oncological management of colorectal cancer (CRC), there still remains a lacuna in the treatment strategy, which differs from center to center and on the philosophy of the treating clinician that is not without bias. Personalized treatment is essential for the treatment of CRC to achieve better long-term outcomes and to reduce morbidity. Surgery has an important role to play in the treatment. Surgical treatment of CRC is decided based on clinical parameters and investigations and hence likely to have judgmental errors. Artificial intelligence has been reported to be useful in the surveillance, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up with accuracy in several malignancies. However, it is still evolving and yet to be established in surgical decision making in CRC. It is not only useful preoperatively but also intraoperatively. Artificial intelligence helps to rectify the human surgical decision when clinical data and radiological and laboratory parameters are fed into the computer and may guide correct surgical treatment.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Colorectal cancer; Clinical implications; Treatment strategy; Surgical treatment

Core Tip: Treatment decision making in colorectal cancer significantly affects the outcome, which is a multidisciplinary team approach and is not without bias. Surgery plays a significant role in the treatment. Whether artificial intelligence may improve the outcome of surgery in colorectal cancer is not known. The present review focuses on its current role in surgical decision making and future impact.