AI Distinguishes Glioblastoma From Look-Alike Cancers During Surgery

 Work described in this story was made possible in part by federal funding supported by taxpayers. At Harvard Medical School, the future of efforts like this — done in service to humanity — now hangs in the balance due to the government’s decision to terminate large numbers of federally funded grants and contracts across Harvard University.

A Harvard Medical School–led research team has developed an AI tool that can reliably tell apart two look-alike cancers found in the brain but with different origins, behaviors, and treatments.

The tool, called PICTURE (Pathology Image Characterization Tool with Uncertainty-aware Rapid Evaluations), distinguished with near-perfect accuracy between glioblastoma — the most common and aggressive brain tumor — and primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), a rarer cancer often mistaken for glioblastoma. While both can appear in the brain, glioblastoma arises from brain cells, whereas PCNSL develops from immune cells. Their similarities under the microscope often lead to misdiagnosis, with serious consequences for treatment.

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