Half of all men over 60 have prostate cancer – an AI diagnostic tool could identify which need followup

Not all cases of prostate cancer need followup and treatment, but determining which are serious and which are benign has been challenging.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

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Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in Western countries. The disease is naturally linked to aging. Professor Tone Frost Bathen at NTNU leads a number of research projects on prostate cancer. The samples from patients are invaluable and are stored in liquid nitrogen. 

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Credit: Photo: Anne Sliper Midling / NTNU

Diagnostic tools based on artificial intelligence are now making their way into Norwegian hospitals. AI can independently read X-ray images and detect bone fractures, or assess cancer tumours in both the breast and prostate.

“AI tools can take over the detection of simple and clear-cut cases, allowing doctors to spend their time on more complex ones,” said Tone Frost Bathen. She is a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and the project manager of an AI-powered analysis tool for prostate cancer called PROVIZ.

Tests on patients at St Olavs Hospital in Trondheim indicate that the tool is very promising.

“AI can enable radiologists to determine more quickly and more accurately whether a patient needs a biopsy, and where in the prostate it should be taken from,” explained Bathen.

A recent study shows that patients trust medical test results only if an experienced doctor confirms what has been detected.

“Trust in doctors and health professionals is key for artificial intelligence to gain a place in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Technology alone is not enough. Human contact and professional assessment remain indispensable,” said Simon A. Berger, a PhD research fellow at NTNU.

Prostate cancer is a natural part of getting older

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men in Western countries.

Examinations have detected prostate cancer in 10 per cent of 50-year-olds, 50 per cent of 60-year-olds and approximately 70 per cent of men over the age of 80.

This shows that the disease is naturally linked to ageing.

“Prostate cancer is something most men die with, not from,” added Berger.

A blood test called PSA can help detect prostate cancer. Since it has become more common for men to take this blood test, the number of new prostate cancer cases has risen sharply. There are now approximately 5000 new cases each year.

When more people are tested for something that many individuals naturally have as part of the ageing process, the next medical step after the blood test must also be carried out more often, so that doctors can obtain a broader clinical picture of its severity.

Most trust in doctors

Currently, this next step involves taking an MRI scan, which provides a detailed image of the prostate gland and the surrounding tissue. These images need to be interpreted manually by an experienced radiologist. As the number of images taken has increased sharply, this has created a need for new and more efficient ways of making diagnoses.

Through the PROVIZ project, NTNU researchers have developed an AI-powered tool that can help doctors interpret MRI images of the prostate. PROVIZ is currently available only for use as part of the ongoing research project, but efforts are underway to apply for a patent and make the tool commercially available.

For a tool like this to be efficiency-enhancing in routine hospital practice, patients must also trust the findings detected through the use of AI.

Berger interviewed 18 men who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer through the use of PROVIZ. The study shows that trust in doctors and health professionals plays a decisive role in whether patients accept AI in the health services.

“Patients trust AI in lower-risk cases such as bone fractures, but not in cases where the perceived risk is higher, such as cancer. When the perceived risk is high, we place the greatest trust in specialized doctors who can confirm what AI has found,” explained Berger.

Doctors as guarantors

In his interviews, Berger identified three different dimensions of trust.

1. Foundational trust in the healthcare system: many patients had positive experiences from previous encounters with the healthcare system. This laid a positive foundation.
2. Inter-personal trust in health professionals: patients trusted the doctors and their assessments. This trust was crucial for accepting AI because the doctors explained and vouched for the technology.
3. Possible trust in AI: even though patients recognized the potential of AI, they always wanted a human assessment as well in prostate cancer diagnostics. They were concerned about accountability, professional judgement and AI’s (in)ability to see the whole clinical picture.

“The relationship between patient and doctor is still key. For AI to be accepted in clinical practice, health professionals must be active communicators and guarantors of safety. In order for doctors to serve as guarantors, they must first understand how AI arrived at its conclusions so they can verify that it has made the correct assessment. Patients accept the use of AI within a framework they already trust,” concluded Berger.

Source:

Berger SA, Håland E, Solbjør M. Patient Perspectives on Trust in Artificial Intelligence-Powered Tools in Prostate Cancer Diagnostics. Qualitative Health Research. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/10497323251387545

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Journal

Qualitative Health Research

DOI

10.1177/10497323251387545 

Method of Research

Content analysis

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Patient Perspectives on Trust in Artificial Intelligence–Powered Tools in Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

NTNU owns an MRI scanner at St. Olavs Hospital that is currently undergoing a major upgrade. It helps researchers obtain the best possible images to be used in, among other things, PROVIZ. “Unfortunately, there are few investors in medical technology right now, but we hope that someone sees the societal value of our project,” says Professor Tone Frost Bathen at NTNU. 

Credit

Photo: Anne Sliper Midling / NTNU

 

Pigs and grizzlies, not monkeys, hold clues to youthful human skin

Washington State University

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PULLMAN, Wash. — The secret to youthful appearance and repairing scars may lie in a microscopic skin structure humans share with pigs and grizzly bears — but, surprisingly, not monkeys.

While it had been thought these ridge and valley-like skin microstructures — called rete ridges — form during fetal growth, researchers at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine found they actually develop shortly after birth and identified a key molecular signal that drives their development.

The findings, published in the journal Nature, could lead to new therapies designed to reverse or slow skin aging and improve wound and scar repair.

“These structures degrade as we age; now we know how they form and have a blueprint to guide future work on restoring them,” said Ryan Driskell, an associate professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s School of Molecular Biosciences and senior author on the paper. “Most scientists assumed these skin ridges formed during early embryonic development, which explains why no one really understood their origin.”

Rete ridges act like biological “Velcro,” Driskell said, anchoring the outer layer of skin, or epidermis, to the dermal layer beneath while helping to maintain elasticity and strength. As these ridges flatten with age, skin becomes thinner and more prone to sagging and damage.

Despite their importance, research has been stalled for decades by a major hurdle: the wrong animal models.

“When most people look at the skin of different animals, they see differences in fur. Rete ridges lie under the surface of skin, however, so it wasn’t until we looked closer that we discovered that animals with thicker skin, like pigs, grizzly bears and dolphins, have rete ridges like we do,” said Sean Thompson, a doctoral student in Driskell’s lab who served as first author on the study. “In contrast, common biomedical models for humans like mice and non-human primates are furry and lack rete ridges.”

While the grizzly bear provided evolutionary data that suggests body size dictates skin structure, the bear’s unique biology made it impossible to track day-by-day development of rete ridges. This led the team to the pig, which has a developmental timeline that researchers could precisely monitor.

Partnering with local farmers, the team collected skin tissue samples from pigs at various developmental stages and ultimately showed that rete ridges form after birth.

“We expected this structure to be established before birth, so seeing it emerge afterward was a surprise,” Driskell said. “That timing changes how we think skin architecture is built and why it may be possible to influence it later in life.”

Using advanced genetic mapping techniques, the team also identified a key biological pathway — bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling — that activates to form these structures. This pathway serves as a set of molecular instructions, guiding how cells communicate and organize into complex tissue. Since rete ridges disappear with age, reactivating BMP signaling could help restore youthful skin and improve scar repair, in addition to possibly leading to new treatments for conditions like psoriasis.

“That BMP signaling drives rete ridges is exciting as it holds significant translational potential,” said Maksim Plikus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine and co-author on the paper. “Use of BMP proteins has already been FDA-approved for orthodontic applications, mapping the way for their use in aged skin and scars.”

The discovery also has the potential to help improve livestock health and adaptability to different climates. By understanding how these features form, researchers can explore ways to breed pigs and other livestock with skin traits suited for different conditions.

Driskell has filed a provisional patent related to his team’s discoveries.

The study involved WSU’s Bear Research, Education and Conservation Center and partnerships with local farmers and producers, with additional contributions from the University of Washington Birth Defects Research Laboratory and clinical collaborators at Spokane Dermatology. It was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the USDA Agricultural Research Service through the Resilient Livestock Initiative.

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Journal

Nature

DOI

10.1038/s41586-025-10055-5 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Publication Date

4-Feb-2026

 

Innovative card deck by Case Western Reserve professor empowers kids to tackle stress head-on

40 color-coded practices help children build emotional resilience through evidence-based stress management techniques

Case Western Reserve University

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Jennifer King

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Credit: Cases Western Reserve University

CLEVELAND—A Case Western Reserve University professor has developed an innovative card deck designed to help children manage stress and build emotional resilience in today’s challenging world.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic—and amid ongoing global and societal stressors—Jennifer King, an associate professor and co-director of the Center on Trauma and Adversity at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve, realized that people needed to know the fundamentals of stress management. She created “Take a Break” micropractice cards in 2022 to help people relax, calm, or reenergize their bodies and minds.

And now King has developed a children’s version.

The new “Take a Break KIDS” edition transforms evidence-based, stress-management techniques into simple one- to three-minute activities that kids can use anywhere, anytime.

With children facing unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the card deck offers practical solutions for parents, teachers and mental health professionals seeking effective tools to support children’s emotional wellbeing.

“Kids aren’t struggling because there’s something wrong with them,” King said. “They are responding to a world that is increasingly asking too much of their nervous systems. When kids learn how to take small breaks in moments of stress, they build skills that support regulation, resilience and connection over time.”

“Take a Break KIDSs” represents a significant evolution from traditional mindfulness tools. The deck features 40 diverse practices organized into color-coded categories—movement, breath, self-touch and partner activities—making it easy for users to find the right technique for any situation.

For younger children, each card includes memorable rhyming instructions that leverage rhythm to support learning and emotional regulation. QR codes on every card link to detailed digital resources, allowing tweens and teens to access the practices independently. Adults receive comprehensive background information and implementation guidance to understand the science behind each technique.

The deck’s development was inspired by feedback King, who has extensive experience working clinically with children, adolescents, families and adults, received from educators and mental health professionals using the original adult version with children.

“I heard from many teachers and mental health professionals who were using the original ‘Take a Break’ card deck with their students and clients,” King said. “While the kids found the practices helpful, the professionals were unsure how to explain the benefits to parents. I needed to create something that was both kid- and parent-friendly.”

Designed to grow with children from early childhood through adolescence, Take a Break KIDS supports the development of lifelong skills for stress management, emotional regulation, and connection.

For more information, visit drjennyking.com/shop.

 

Take a Break cards

 

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