The field of medical imaging is undergoing rapid development, and thanks to innovative studies, new opportunities for earlier and more accurate diagnostics are emerging. In patients with prostate cancer, tumor volume is quantified using the PSMA PET-CT imaging method to more effectively map the disease, assess risk, and select a personalized treatment. The prize amount is 600,000 SEK.
Congratulations - you have received this year's medical award from the LMK Foundation - how does it feel?
-"Of course, it's very, very exciting! And honourable. Many people have worked on the project for several years, and this recognition is a real boost."
Why is your research important?
-"My research focuses on an expensive and fairly complicated method, PET-CT, which is mainly used for cancer patients. We are trying to develop artificial intelligence to determine when the method benefits the patient and to better utilize the entire examination. For example, we are developing ways to automatically calculate how much tumour is present in various organs. These types of automatically calculated measurements can be used, for instance, to assess an individual patient's risk and to monitor the effectiveness of a treatment. Doing this manually is time-consuming and therefore not feasible as a standard routine in clinics."
How will you continue your work?
-"We have recently designed a study to investigate how automatic measurements of tumour volume can be used to assess the risk in patients with prostate cancer. So far, we have included 300 patients and aim for a few hundred more, whom we will then follow over five years. In the meantime, we are also continuing work on other projects, such as those on bladder cancer and cervical cancer. There is still a lot to be done!"
Article previously published on the Faculty of Medicine website by Åsa Hansdotter 8/10, 2024
Read more about Elin's research and the price motivation om the LMK Foundation's website.