Artificial Intelligence in Ultrasound Diagnoses of Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary According to cancer research statistics, there are 7500 new ovarian cancer diagnoses in the UK each year. An earlier detection of ovarian cancer leads to a better prognosis; however, there is currently no screening programme for ovarian cancer, and detection using ultrasound examinations remains challenging. The use of artificial intelligence in gynaecological ultrasound examinations aims to improve the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for ovarian cancer and improve outcomes for patients. This review aims to collate current research on AI in the ultrasound diagnosis of ovarian cancer and suggests the usefulness of incorporating this into clinical care.Abstract Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common malignancy, with a 35% survival rate across all stages at 10 years. Ultrasound is widely used for ovarian tumour diagnosis, and accurate pre-operative diagnosis is essential for appropriate patient management. Artificial intelligence is an emerging field within gynaecology and has been shown to aid in the ultrasound diagnosis of ovarian cancers. For this study, Embase and MEDLINE databases were searched, and all original clinical studies that used artificial intelligence in ultrasound examinations for the diagnosis of ovarian malignancies were screened. Studies using histopathological findings as the standard were included. The diagnostic performance of each study was analysed, and all the diagnostic performances were pooled and assessed. The initial search identified 3726 papers, of which 63 were suitable for abstract screening. Fourteen studies that used artificial intelligence in ultrasound diagnoses of ovarian malignancies and had histopathological findings as a standard were included in the final analysis, each of which had different sample sizes and used different methods; these studies examined a combined total of 15,358 ultrasound images. The overall sensitivity was 81% (95% CI, 0.80-0.82), and specificity was 92% (95% CI, 0.92-0.93), indicating that artificial intelligence demonstrates good performance in ultrasound diagnoses of ovarian cancer. Further prospective work is required to further validate AI for its use in clinical practice.