Data scientists compete to create cancer-detection algorithms

Data scientists are using machine learning to tackle lung cancer detection. Beginning in January, nearly 10,000 data scientists around the world competed in the Data Science Bowl to develop the most effective algorithm to help medical professionals detect lung cancer earlier and with better accuracy.

In 2010, the National Lung Screening Trial showed that annual screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) — a scanner that uses computer-processed combinations of many X-ray images from different angles to generate high-contrast 3D images — could reduce lung cancer deaths by 20 percent. While a breakthrough for early detection, the technology has also resulted in a relatively high rate of false positives compared with more traditional X-rays.