Researchers in Québec are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to predict which patients with early-stage lung cancer are at high risk of having a recurrence of their cancer after surgery.

Today in The Conversation Canada, MD-PhD student Mark Sorin and Prof. Logan Walsh of McGill University explain how their research group used new imaging technology and AI to study tumour samples and predict with 95 per cent accuracy which patients would experience a cancer recurrence.

This could help doctors determine the best course of treatment for patients.

“Lung cancer patients who are cured by surgery could be spared the toxicity of chemotherapy. Patients at risk of their cancer recurring could benefit from additional therapeutic interventions,” they write.

The researchers say their ultimate goal is to increase cure rates and improve treatment for the 31,000 Canadians who are diagnosed with lung cancer every year.

Also today:

All the best, 

Lisa Varano

Deputy Editor
Chemotherapy is used to treat all lung cancer patients. Yet many would not need such invasive treatment if diagnosis of the risk of recurrence were more refined. A new technology could change all that. (Shutterstock)

Lung cancer: Predicting which patients are at high risk of recurrence to improve outcomes

Mark Sorin, McGill University; Logan Walsh, McGill University

Treatment for lung cancer patients is the same for everyone, regardless of the risk of recurrence. The use of a new technology could refine diagnosis.
It is not enough to remove the unfair barriers holding women back; we also need to confront the unfair privileges propelling men forward. (Shutterstock)

‘Benevolent sexism’ in startups widens the gender gap by advantaging men over women

Nhu Nguyen, McGill University; Frederic Godart, INSEAD; Ivona Hideg, York University, Canada; Yuval Engel, University of Amsterdam

For Canada’s new Women Entrepreneurship Strategy to be effective, we must gain a deeper understanding of sexism in startup spaces.
Bradley Cooper as composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in ‘Maestro.’ A climactic scene in the film shows Bernstein conducting a triumphant finale of Mahler’s ‘Symphony No. 5.’ (Netflix)

‘Maestro’ shows the enduring power of Gustav Mahler through Leonard Bernstein’s passion

Aidan McGartland, McGill University

Mahler’s inventive modernism and highly expressive writing communicated emotions shaped by his fascinating late-19th century life.
Intentionally integrating vocabulary into conversations from topics children are curious about helps grow children’s language skills. (Shutterstock)

How having conversations with children builds their language — and strengthens family connections

Kimberly Hillier, University of Windsor

Engaging in purposeful, meaningful and strategic conversations with children can directly support children’s language comprehension, an important component of reading.
Chronic wasting disease has been detected in two deer samples in British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Chronic wasting disease has been detected in British Columbia deer, and we need to act now

Kaylee Byers, Simon Fraser University; Sarah Robinson, Simon Fraser University

B.C. has operated a surveillance program for over 20 years to detect chronic wasting disease, a fatal condition with no cure or vaccine. The disease has now been detected in deer in the province.

La Conversation Canada
La vérificatrice générale Karen Hogan témoigne devant le comité permanent des comptes publics de la Chambre des communes, à Ottawa, le 12 février 2024. Elle est arrivée à des constats sévères quant à la gestion de l'application ArriveCan. La Presse Canadienne/Sean Kilpatrick

Scandale ArriveCan : comment éviter un tel dérapage à l’avenir ?

Annie Lecompte, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)

Les dépassements de coûts de l’application ArriveCan sont exceptionnels, mais le scandale n’est pas unique dans l’histoire. Des solutions existent pour éviter l’utilisation outrancière de fonds publics.

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