Daijiworld Media Network – Tirupati

Tirupati, Feb 17: Tirupati-based researcher Lalasa Mukku has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven technique capable of detecting cervical cancer risk up to five years before the formation of malignant tumours.

According to Ms Mukku, the system uses AI-based colposcopy image analysis to identify early precancerous lesions of the cervix. “AI-based colposcopy image analysis enables early detection of cervical precancerous lesions. This helps in identification of cervical cancer risk up to five years before malignant tumours are formed,” she said.

After completing her postgraduation in Tirupati, Ms Mukku pursued her PhD in computer science and engineering at Christ University, Bengaluru. Her doctoral research, titled ‘A multimodal temporal hybrid deep learning model for cervical cancer detection’, was conducted under the supervision of professor Jyothi Thomas.

Citing GLOBOCAN data, she noted that India recorded over 1.23 lakh new cervical cancer cases and nearly 77,000 deaths in 2020 alone. She emphasised that the five-year survival rate can reach 90 per cent if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage.

In the absence of trained specialists to periodically examine patients, her AI system is designed to assist by analysing images captured through colposcopy — a procedure in which a camera-equipped probe is used to photograph the cervix. The model employs an enhanced Gaussian mixture module to isolate cervix images for improved clarity.

The system then tracks variations in tissue colour, texture and vascular patterns over time. By analysing these morphological changes, the AI model can detect early signs indicative of tumour development even before the condition becomes clinically detectable.

“When validated on patients, this model achieved an accuracy of 94 per cent, recall rate of 95 per cent, and an F1 score of 94.21, superior to the diagnostic accuracy of specialists,” Ms Mukku said, expressing hope that the technology could strengthen early screening efforts and reduce cervical cancer mortality in India.