Artificial Intelligence in Renal Cell Carcinoma Histopathology: Current Applications and Future Perspectives
Alfredo Distante,
Laura Marandino,
Riccardo Bertolo,
Alexandre Ingels,
Nicola Pavan,
Angela Pecoraro,
Michele Marchioni,
Umberto Carbonara,
Selcuk Erdem,
Daniele Amparore,
Riccardo Campi,
Eduard Roussel,
Anna Caliò,
Zhenjie Wu,
Carlotta Palumbo,
Leonardo D. Borregales,
Peter Mulders,
Constantijn H. J. Muselaers
Affiliations
Alfredo Distante
Department of Urology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Roma, Italy
Laura Marandino
Department of Medical Oncology, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
Riccardo Bertolo
Department of Urology, San Carlo Di Nancy Hospital, 00165 Rome, Italy
Alexandre Ingels
Department of Urology, University Hospital Henri Mondor, APHP (Assistance Publique—Hôpitaux de Paris), 94000 Créteil, France
Nicola Pavan
Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, Section of Urology, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy
Angela Pecoraro
Department of Urology, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
Michele Marchioni
Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, G. d’Annunzio University of Chieti, 66100 Chieti, Italy
Umberto Carbonara
Andrology and Kidney Transplantation Unit, Department of Emergency and Organ Transplantation-Urology, University of Bari, 70121 Bari, Italy
Selcuk Erdem
Division of Urologic Oncology, Department of Urology, Istanbul University Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul 34093, Turkey
Daniele Amparore
Department of Urology, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, University of Turin, Orbassano, 10043 Turin, Italy
Riccardo Campi
Urological Robotic Surgery and Renal Transplantation Unit, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, 50121 Firenze, Italy
Eduard Roussel
Department of Urology, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
Anna Caliò
Section of Pathology, Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Zhenjie Wu
Department of Urology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China
Carlotta Palumbo
Division of Urology, Maggiore della Carità Hospital of Novara, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Eastern Piedmont, 13100 Novara, Italy
Leonardo D. Borregales
Department of Urology, Well Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA
Peter Mulders
Department of Urology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Constantijn H. J. Muselaers
Department of Urology, Radboud University Medical Center, Geert Grooteplein 10, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is characterized by its diverse histopathological features, which pose possible challenges to accurate diagnosis and prognosis. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to explore recent advancements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) in RCC pathology. The aim of this paper is to assess whether these advancements hold promise in improving the precision, efficiency, and objectivity of histopathological analysis for RCC, while also reducing costs and interobserver variability and potentially alleviating the labor and time burden experienced by pathologists. The reviewed AI-powered approaches demonstrate effective identification and classification abilities regarding several histopathological features associated with RCC, facilitating accurate diagnosis, grading, and prognosis prediction and enabling precise and reliable assessments. Nevertheless, implementing AI in renal cell carcinoma generates challenges concerning standardization, generalizability, benchmarking performance, and integration of data into clinical workflows. Developing methodologies that enable pathologists to interpret AI decisions accurately is imperative. Moreover, establishing more robust and standardized validation workflows is crucial to instill confidence in AI-powered systems’ outcomes. These efforts are vital for advancing current state-of-the-art practices and enhancing patient care in the future.
